Fated
by Sassylou
Summary: This is an AU fanfic of the Mediator. Suze is still a mediator And maybe Jesse , but she never met Jesse as a ghost. Instead, he's grown up in Carmel, California in the twenty-first century. Will they meet and fall in love, even if Jesse has had a chance to meet other people? And what's this about a daughter? Read and find out. I tried to keep things as similar as possible. Enjoy!
1. Over a Guy?

**I tried to keep things pretty similar. Suze did move to Carmel when she was sixteen. She did become friends with CeeCee and Adam. She did meet Paul when he start going to the Mission their junior year. There are some differences, obviously, but I tried to stay well within the characters' personalities. Although, I did make Paul a little meaner than he usual is (I really don't like him). He changed for the better in my other fanfiction, but not in this one. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and please let me know what you think. And sorry that the chapters are probably all going to be kind of short. **

**So this first chapter is in Suze's POV.**

**August**

I couldn't believe I was still upset about the guy. I mean, here I was, twenty-seven years old and practically bawling my eyes out for _one_ man. And yeah, so maybe we'd been together for ten years, and I'd been pregnant with his kid – for about two months – but I didn't need to cry over him. It was just ridiculous. I didn't want to be with a guy like that, anyway. I was glad that, in the three years of our engagement, we'd never made a single serious wedding plan.

And I was more than glad that I would _never_ marry Paul Slater's sorry ass.

Not after finding him in bed with his secretary when I came home to tell him about the miscarriage I'd had.

That's it. I was crying because of the trauma my body had recently gone through. After all, that had only been a week before.

Before I would sink further into my fit of despair, the plane began its landing process. I did what I could to fix my make-up before getting off.

I saw my mom there, waiting for me. Tears sprang to my eyes. Angrily, I swiped them away. Hadn't I cried enough already?

"Oh, Susie," she said, when she saw me. She hurried in my direction, hugging me tightly. I clung to her, ashamed to realize that I _needed_ my mom again, like I had when I was just a little girl. I'd always been very independent, since about the age of seven. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd needed my mom's comfort like I did at that very moment.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I pulled away. I gave a forced smile. "Let's get my bags. Did the rest of my things arrive?"

"Just this morning, sweetie." She didn't try to talk about Paul as we got my two bags. I loved that about my mom. She knew when to just leave things alone.

She chatted quietly as we drove to the house she shared with my stepfather, Andy Ackerman. See, my father, Peter Simon, had died when I was only six. Ten years later, Mom met Andy and married him. She and I moved out to Carmel, California – from New York – to live with him and his three boys. Jake, Brad, and David. I hadn't been very excited at first. But then I met some of my best friends. CeeCee Webb – now McTavish – and Adam McTavish. They were high school sweethearts. It was also that first summer in Carmel that I met Paul, while his family was visiting from Seattle. He moved in with his grandfather the next school year, and that's when we started dating.

How I wish I could change that.

"Susie?"

I looked at my mom, who was watching me closely. I hadn't even realized that we'd reached the house. "Sorry. I…zoned out, I guess."

She smiled warmly at me. "It's all right, honey. You know you're welcome to stay here as long as you like." She was worried about me, I knew, worried that I would move out and wallow in despair. She would want to keep a close eye on me for a little while.

"I know. Don't worry, Mom. I'm not going to move right away. I want to get a car first, and then I'll start searching for an apartment. I might be around for a while. You and Andy will probably get sick of me," I tried to joke.

"Never, sweetie."

We got my bags and headed into the house. Andy gave me a very brief hug on my way up the stairs. My boxed belongings were already in my old bedroom.

"Do you want help unpacking?"

I shook my head. "I'll do it on my own, Mom. I need a few minutes alone, if that's okay."

"That's fine." She kissed my forehead. "We'll see you at dinner, in about an hour."

Then she left.

I sank onto the seat in front of the bay window that Andy had installed for me the first time I'd moved into this house. I remembered all the times I'd snuck out to take care of ghosts – that's a long story I'm not getting into. Short version? I can see, hear, touch, etc. dead people. I never even told my mom about the mediation thing – which is what it's called – until I got engaged to Paul. He could also see ghosts, which had been one of the things that had attracted me to him. I used to think I was one of a kind. But Jack – Paul's younger brother – and Father Dominic – my old school principal – could also see ghosts.

I sighed. I couldn't stay with Mom and Andy too long. There were too many memories of Paul here. Maybe my new teaching position at Robert Louis Stevenson would help me move on.

I hoped so.


	2. Happy

***I just made a few changes! Danny-jdb-Brooks pointed out to me that there needs to be a mi in front of hijo and hija. Thank you so much. I am not Hispanic or Mexican. I don't really know the first thing about Spanish. Let me know if I make any other mistakes like that. I'll try to fix them.***

**Okay, so I have to tell you that most of these characters belong to Meg Cabot. I own Catarina de Silva entirely. I gave names to two of Jesse's sisters (Carmen and Rosaria), as well as his parents (if I ever need to use their names). I also entirely own Benedict Harrison and Reece Harrison (you'll find out who they are later).**

**Jesse's POV**

**August**

I unbuckled my beautiful daughter from her booster seat. It was selfish of me, I knew, but I was somewhat glad that Catarina looked more like me than her late mother. Maria brought too many difficult memories for me. I had resolved most of my issues with my dead wife when I spoke with her ghost after the funeral, but I could not deny that I was glad that my daughter did not bring a constant reminder of Maria. Generally only when she had a sneer on her young face.

As she did now.

"Daddy, I don't want to go," she informed me. "I want to play with Eddie, _Papa_."

"I know, _princesa_. But Eddie is visiting sick grandfather today, you know that, and your _abuela_ is very excited to see you. She told me that she made a special treat for us to enjoy after dinner."

Catarina's brown eyes lit up at the mention of a special treat. "Her yummy brownies? With the sprinkles?"

I smiled lovingly. "I believe so, _mi __hija_. Come, let's go inside and see."

With the idea of brownies in her head, she scrambled out of the SUV. She ran to the front door, yelling for her _abuela_. My father opened the door just as she reached it, and lifted her into a brief hug. I followed at a slower pace.

"Who has arrived already?" I asked.

"Marta and Benedict are in the kitchen, helping your _madre_ with a few last things for the meal. Rosaria is, unwillingly, helping them. Mercedes and Christian are feeding the horses. Josefina was doing something in the attic, I believe. Carmen has not arrived yet."

"That doesn't surprise me. How is Marta?"

My _padre_ struggled not to grin. "You can't hear her? She is quite vocal about the miseries of pregnancy. Benedict is feeling very…overwhelmed at the moment."

"I understand that feeling. Maria was the same way, when she was pregnant with Catarina." As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. Our good humor disappeared at the mention of Maria. It was still a sore subject among our family. I looked down at my daughter. "Catarina, let's go find some of your aunts and uncles, shall we?"

Excited, she ran into the house, her black curls flowing behind her.

"Hector –"

"The pain will ease with time, _Papa_. It's already easier than it used to be. Don't worry."

He clasped my shoulder briefly before going inside the ranch house where I'd been born and raised. I followed slowly, making my way into the kitchen. My brother-in-law, Benedict Harrison, was the first to see me. He nodded. "Hello, Jesse," he said, his British accent thick. Only my father called me by my first name, Hector. To everyone else, I went by my middle name, Jesse.

"It's nice to see you, Benedict. Marta, how are you?"

My younger sister scowled, her left hand resting on her lower back. "How do you think I am?" she snapped. "I am five months pregnant. And I am miserable. My back hurts, my ankles are swollen, I can't sleep well, I -"

"Have you decided on a name for my nephew?" I interrupted her. If I allowed her to, she could complain for hours.

"Reece Emmett Harrison."

"Jesse, dear, have you forgotten your own mother?"

I grinned at my _madre_, pulling her into a loving embrace. "I could never forget you, _Mama_. I was simply saving the best for last."

From another room, I heard a shriek. Catarina must have found her Aunt Josefina. She loved to play with her silliest aunt.

"Oh, Jesse," my mother began in a voice that was trying too hard to sound casual. "A friend of mine has a daughter who I think would just _love_ to meet you. Her name is –"

"Mother, I am not ready for that. I'll get back into dating when I feel like I'm ready. Kindly please do not attempt to set me up again."

"Oh, Jesse. I just want to see you happy."

I took her hand and gazed into her deep brown eyes. "I know, _Mama_. And I am happy. I have a loving family to support me. And I have my beautiful _mi __hija_. What more could a man wish for?"

She gave me a sad smile. "You're not as happy as you could be, if you had a good woman at your side."

**I made Jesse a mediator. I figured, since he becomes one at the end of the sixth book, it would make sense for me to make him one in this story as well.**


	3. Fresh Meat

**Sorry it's taken me a little while to update. I've been pretty busy lately. But here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Suze's POV**

**September**

I sat in one of the armchairs in the teacher's lounge, sipping my coffee. I wasn't normally a fan of coffee – even though I originally came from New York – but I needed it. I was at the end of my rope, and I was only halfway through the day. I just wanted to go crawl into my bed and sleep for about a million years. Why in the world had I ever wanted to teach high school students? And why did it seem like kids in Seattle were so much easier than they were here?

Maybe it was because I was fresh meat here. In Seattle, those kids knew that Miss Simon didn't take any crap from anybody. I knew all the excuses in the book, having used most of them myself. Heck, I've even _added_ excuses to the book. My students in Seattle knew they couldn't fool me.

I just hoped these Californian kids learned that sooner rather than later. I didn't remember the kids at Junipero Serra Mission Academy acting like little hellions whenever a new teacher showed up. Then again, I didn't pay much attention to things like that when I was in high school. Maybe I should have.

"Long morning?" a soft, female voice asked, startling me. I looked up to see a young woman, probably about my age, smiling at me. She had long, very dark brown hair sweeping down her back. Her chocolate brown eyes were kind and warm. And she was tall, maybe three or so inches above my own height. With my boots, I'm five eight. Without them, I'm five six. She must have had some Spaniard in her, if her darker coloring was any indication.

"A _very_ long morning," I agreed.

"It will get better. These kids are horrible with new teachers. You just have to put them in their place and let them know that they're not going to get away with it. They'll push the boundaries as much as they feel they can. It's always been like that here at RLS. I'm Josefina de Silva, by the way."

She held out her hand. Grinning, I set down my drink and shook it. "I'm Susannah Simon, the new history teacher."

"Junior class, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. What do you teach?"

"Senior calculus. So you can warn me about any students that I might need to be wary of, before they ever set foot in my classroom."

I had to laugh. I liked this woman instantly. I could tell we were going to be good friends. We thought alike. "Brilliant."

Josefina sat beside me. "That's what I thought. I get to see all of the students around the school, but I don't get to actually see how they do in a classroom setting until they're already _in_ my classroom. I'd like to have a bit of a heads-up warning. So, if you don't mind me asking, Miss Simon, where did you move from?"

"Call me Suze, please." Only my old principal ever called me Susannah, and he was in a nursing home now. I'd talked to him just the week before, and he didn't thin he'd have much more time left. But he, being the faithful Catholic priest that he is, is actually very calm about dying. He told me that he was ready to meet St. Peter at the gates. "I moved from Seattle, but I actually used to live here in Carmel. Before that, I lived in New York."

"Wow. You've been around. I was born and raised in Carmel. My family owns a ranch, where my parents host a summer horse camp for kids. My sisters, brother, and I help out during the summers. Oh, goodness," she said, smacking her forehead. "I'm sorry if I'm rambling. Everyone's always telling me that I talk too much."

"I get told that a lot, too. Josefina, I think we're going to be great friends."

"In that case, you should call me Josie. Practically everybody does, except my father. He has a thing against nicknames. If you want, I can show you the ropes around here, after school today. I can let you in on a few secrets of the school."

"I would love that. Thank you so much, Josie."

She smiled, sweeping her hair behind her shoulders, and that was when I noticed the ring on her finger. It made me remember the ring that used to be on _my_ finger – before I threw it at Paul's cheating head. "Married, or just engaged?" I asked.

"Engaged. His name is Derek Collins. He works –"

"At the local news station? Isn't he a reporter?"

She looked a little surprised. Which was understandable. Here I was, just barely moved back to Carmel, and I knew her fiancé, even though I'd only met _her_ a few minutes ago. "He is. How did you –"

"My mom is Helen Ackerman."

Josefina laughed, shaking her head. "They say it's a small world. I've met your mom once or twice. She is a very nice woman."

"I think so, too." Before I could say more, a bell rang.

"Time for class," Josefina said cheerfully. "Good luck to you. And I hope you make it out alive at the end of today."


	4. No More

**This chapter is way short. Sorry about that. Enjoy it, though.**

**Jesse's POV**

**October**

Sighing, I walked in the front door of the ranch house. "Daddy!" a young voice called, and then Catarina's small body collided with my legs. It took me by surprise. I had not been expecting her to up at this hour.

I ruffled her dark hair. "Catarina, what are you doing up? Wasn't your bedtime half an hour ago?"

She gave a small giggle, one of my favorite sounds in the world. "Auntie Rose played with me, _Papa_. I'm not tired," she said with a small yawn that belied her words.

"You were allowed to stay up? Where is your grandmother? I think I need to have a few words with her." She pointed to the living room. "I see. Will you get your backpack, while I speak with your _abuela_?"

She ran up the stairs. I made my way into the living room. "_Madre_..."

"It's one night, Jesse," she said calmly. She didn't even look up from the coffee table she was straightening. "She wasn't tired earlier, so I went ahead and let her stay up a little bit. She needed to burn off some energy. She'll probably fall asleep on the way home for you. How was the date?"

I shrugged, not really wanting to talk about my date. It had been a very uncomfortable ordeal for me. "Charlene is a wonderful woman," I began. Mother beamed, finally looking up at me. I knew she was hoping that I would get into another serious relationship soon. It was why she kept setting me up on these dates, even when I'd asked her not to. "But I won't be going on a second date with her."

"Why ever not, Jesse?"

I sighed. "I'm not ready, _Mama_. And she was overly interested in my daughter. I felt as though she were mostly pretending to be interested in Catarina. If I do start dating again, I need to find someone who can love Catarina as much, if not more, than she would love me. My life isn't just my own anymore, Mother. Catarina is more important than anything else, and I don't want to enter into a relationship that might cause her pain."

She sighed, visibly disappointed. "I understand, Jesse. I just want to see you happy again."

I could never be angry with my mother for her good intentions. All she wanted was for me and Catarina to be happy. I knew that. I also knew that I wasn't going to find that happiness, with another woman, just quite yet. "I am happy enough for now. I believe that the right woman will come into my life when God intends, and not a moment sooner. In the meantime, I think I will focus on my work and raising my daughter. Please, _Mama_, no more dates."

"All right. I –"

"_Papa_!" Catarina hollered, bounding into the room. Her pink backpack was looped over one little shoulder. She yawned once, rubbing at her eye with a fist. "I'm ready now."

I lifted her into my arms, kissing her forehead. "Say goodbye to Grandmama."

"Bye, _Abuela_. Love you."

"Sweet Catarina. I love you, too, darling." Mother kissed my daughter's cheek, smiling warmly.

"Goodbye, _Madre_. Thank you for watching her tonight," I said quietly, as Catarina was beginning to fall asleep in my arms, despite her earlier protest of not being tired. Gently, I carried her out to my car. She didn't stir as I buckled her into her seat.


	5. Understanding

**Okay, here's the next chapter. Lucky for you guys, you'll probably get about four chapters today. So, enjoy reading them! I've had fun writing them. Also lucky for you, this chapter is the longest so far. Keep reviewing and let me know what you think.**

**Suze's POV**

**November**

I sat at my desk, staring blankly at the assignments my morning classes had handed in. I was debating whether or not I should just take the rest of the day off. I could use a sick day. I _was_ feeling kind of sick, in a sad and depressed sort of way. I shouldn't have even come to work today. I was too out of it, and my students could tell. Why had I thought I could handle this?

I couldn't help it, though. Being sad, I mean. Exactly three months ago today, I'd lost my baby. If I hadn't miscarried, I would have been five months pregnant by now. I hadn't even know if I was having a boy or a girl. I'd only known about my pregnancy for a month before I lost the baby, and it had been too early to tell the gender. I had just barely started getting excited to have a baby, despite the fact that I hadn't been sure about Paul's reaction. I was scared and happy to be a mom. But I lost that. I wasn't going to get to experience parenthood, probably for a while. Maybe not even ever.

"Knock, knock. I didn't see you in the teacher's lounge, so I thought – Suze?" Josefina asked when she saw my expression, coming into my classroom. She closed and locked the door behind her. "What's wrong? You look very sad."

I took a deep, shaky breath. "Today's just not a good day for me, at all." It was taking every ounce of my willpower not to cry my eyes out. I hated crying. It was the worst. I would seriously rather puke my guts out than cry.

She sat on the edge of the desk, watching me with concern. "What happened?"

I was going to tell her that nothing had happened, that I would be all right. I mean, I didn't want her to think I was weak or pathetic or anything. But I didn't. Instead, my eyes teared up and I said, "I wasted ten years of my life with the same stupid guy," I said bitterly. I was mostly over Paul, the slimebag, but I _wasn't_ over the miscarriage. I didn't care about Paul. At least, that's what I told myself. He was a jerk. I cared about my dead baby.

"I've heard that one before. What happened?"

I sighed. "I don't –"

"Oh no. You are going to tell me, whether you like it or not."

"Fine," I huffed. I knew there was no arguing with her. She was too much like me. She didn't take no for an answer when she really wanted to know something. "Right after high school I moved out to Seattle with my boyfriend – we'd been dating since I was seventeen. We lived together while we went to college – him to be a criminal attorney, and me to be a teacher. Three years ago, he proposed to me. I said yes, but then nothing happened. We never made any plans, and he never wanted to talk about the wedding. It was pretty frustrating to me at the time, but now I'm glad that we didn't. At least I didn't waste much of my time dreaming about marrying the jerk. And we didn't waste much money on it.

"Then, four months ago, I found out I was pregnant. I was about five weeks along. I was excited, but I was scared to death to tell Paul. He's not a huge fan of kids, and he had told me that he never wanted any. I've never _really_ thought of myself as the mothering kind, so I wasn't too upset about it. But then when I got pregnant, I was happy. I was also worried that Paul would want me to get an abortion. I mean, he treats his own brother, who's eight years younger than him, like crap. So I didn't tell him. I was too scared to. But then, when I was nine weeks along, I was hurting really bad and bleeding. I was supposed to be leaving for a weekend retreat with some of my colleagues, but I went to the hospital instead. I found out that I was having a miscarriage, and there was nothing they could do. The baby had already died.

"I got home, upset, only to find Paul in bed with his freaking secretary. We had a spectacular screaming match, and I threw the ring at him. I took my bags that I had packed for the retreat, and checked into a hotel. The next day, while he was in court for some case he was working on, I packed the rest of my things and shipped them to my mom. A week later, I was back in Carmel, a job arranged here. Three months ago today, I had a miscarriage and found about Paul's infidelity in one go." I swiped at my eyes. I was now crying shamelessly. Great. Just what I needed. A river of tears.

"Oh, Suze." She gave me a tight hug. I clung to her, allowing the tears to roll. I had found a true friend in Josefina. She understood me in ways that Gina and CeeCee just couldn't. I didn't mind breaking down in front of her quite as much as I would have if it had been anyone else. It wasn't like I could stop the flood of tears, anyway. "That's horrible, Suze. _I_ can't really understand what you're going through, but I'd bet my brother could."

"Do you have just the one brother?" I asked, mostly to try to distract myself. She'd mentioned her family a few times. She had four sisters. _Four_.

"Yeah. Poor guy. He grew up with five sisters, and we loved to tease him. He's the oldest, thirty-one. Anyway, when he was twenty-four, he married a girl named Maria Reyes. He was living in San Francisco at the time, going to medical school. About three years later, they had Catarina. When Cat was only fourteen months old, Maria died in a car accident. Only a few days after the funeral, Jesse found out that she'd been cheating on him with this guy named Felix Diego, almost their entire marriage. I guess her dad had kind of pressured her into marrying Jesse because he was on track to become a doctor. If Cat didn't look almost exactly like my brother, I'd be worried that she's Diego's instead of Jesse's.

"He moved back to Carmel after that, to be closer to us. He needed a little bit of help taking care of Cat. My mom's been trying to get him back into the whole dating thing, but…I don't think he's quite ready yet. He still has mixed emotions about Maria. He told me that when she'd died, he'd already started falling _out_ of love with her. He could see that she wasn't who he had originally thought she was. But of course that just makes him feel bad that he doesn't really feel bad about what happened."

A sad smile tugged at my lips. "I understand that. I don't know if I would be upset if something happened to Paul. Your brother doesn't find joy in the death of his wife, but he also doesn't really miss her. Yeah, I can understand that perfectly."

Josefina nodded. "Exactly. See, I knew you'd get it. I think the both of you would benefit from talking to each other. Maybe. If I can get up the courage to tell him that I just spilled his life story to you." She groaned. "Ah, crap. I just spilled my brother's life story to you. See, this is why nobody in my family ever tells me secrets. I can't keep them. Most of the time, anyway. There are a few, like the secret about – Oh, drat. I almost did it again."

I gave a watery chuckle. I wasn't sure if she was being serious, or if she was just trying to make me laugh. If it was the second one, then it worked. Big time. "Well, if you feel comfortable doing it, you should pass on my condolences to him."

"I'll think about it. He might kill me for telling you all of that. Seriously. I am _so_ dead…"


	6. Next Time

**Jesse's POV**

**November**

"Catarina, finish your stuffing," I instructed sternly. She had eaten everything else on her plate. I wasn't sure why she wasn't eating the stuffing. That was usually her favorite part of the meal. Instead, she was attempting to fold her napkin into an intricate shape. "Stop playing with your napkin and eat."

My daughter sent me her best pout, making her brown eyes as wide as they could possibly go in an attempt to get her way. Some days, it worked brilliantly. I was determined that today not be one of those days. I have fallen prey to her Bambi eyes on many occasions. "But, _Papa_, I don't want it," she whined.

I arched an eyebrow at her. "You asked me to put that much on your plate, _princesa_. You know the rule. You have to eat what you ask for. We don't waste in this family."

"Daddy –"

"Catarina de Silva. Now."

Sighing heavily, she began eating it.

"We haven't heard much from you this week, Hector. Is everything all right?" my father asked me.

I nodded, keeping a careful eye on my daughter. If she thought she could get away with it, she would try to feed the food to Rosaria's dog, Petals. "Yes, everything is just fine. I'm sorry I haven't really been in touch. I've been looking for a new apartment for myself and Catarina, so I've been busy even though I've had this week off. I want a larger space for us, and I'm tired of walking through cigarette smoke in the lobby. I don't want Catarina exposed to that, either. It's not good for her little lungs."

"Let me know if you would like some help looking, _mi hijo_."

I nodded. "I will, _Padre_." I looked at the oldest of my younger sisters then, hearing her grumble under her breath. It was remarkable, the amount of complaining she could do. "Marta, how are you feeling?"

She sent me a scowl. "How do you think, Jesse? I am completely miserable and I am ready for this baby to come. I don't know if I can wait another two weeks. I want him out _now_."

I shook my head, trying not to grin. "You always have been the impatient one."

"Oh, and what are you?" she snapped. "The boring one?"

I chose to ignore that response. She was only snapping at me because she was uncomfortable in her pregnancy. I supposed that wasn't the _only_ reason. Marta had always had a short temper and an even shorter amount of patience. "The baby will come when he's ready, Marta. As much as you dislike it, you'll have to be patient."

"Daddy, are you talking about my cousin?" Catarina asked curiously.

"Yes, _princesa_, we are. Do you want to tell your Aunt Marta and Uncle Benedict what you made for your cousin Reece?"

She nodded excitedly, wiggling in her seat. She was glad to be distracted from her stuffing for a short period. Perhaps she thought I would forget about it entirely and not make her finish eating it. "I made a pretty picture for his room. It has a tiger and a mouse on it."

Marta smiled at her niece. "Well, thank you very much, Cat. I'm sure that Reece will love the picture."

"Thank you, Catarina," Benedict added. I knew he was grateful for more than the picture. Catarina could always get Marta into a better mood with a simple smile. Benedict always preferred his wife to be in a good mood, especially since it was so rare these days.

Catarina beamed in response. But her good mood faded as soon as I said, "Finish your food. You only have about five more bites." This got a scowl from her, but she picked up her fork and continued to eat sullenly.

"_Madre_," Josefina began suddenly, looking up at our mother. She had been somewhat quiet this evening, which was very unusual for her. "Do you mind if I take some pie to one of my colleagues? I think she could use a little extra Thanksgiving cheer today."

"Of course. Is it this Susannah you've mentioned before?"

My sister nodded. "Yes. She's had a pretty rough time lately."

"You said she had been engaged recently?"

"_Mama_," Josefina warned. Our mother had a tendency to gossip and pry. I was sure she didn't even realize she was doing it most of the time. "It's very complicated. I'm not sure if it's really my place to say."

"You don't have to give me details." Mother sounded almost offended that Josefina wouldn't trust her with the information.

Josefina sighed. I saw her brown eyes dart in my direction just briefly. "Yes, she was engaged, until she learned that her fiancé was cheating on her." Ah, that must have been why she had looked in my direction. She was worried the similarities between myself and this Susannah's situations would upset me. "She broke it off and moved back to Carmel. There was some other stuff going on, but it was personal, so I'm not going to say anything about it. But, she's been through a lot."

"Oh, the poor dear."

"I think I'll visit her once the meal is over. Jesse, would you like to come with me?"

I was a little surprised at her sudden question. "Me?"

My sister nodded, smiling. "You and Cat both. She loves kids, even the hellions we teach at the high school. I'm sure Cat's smiling face will help to cheer her up. Catarina can cheer just about anybody up."

I hesitated. I felt that my sister had some ulterior motive in wanting me to come. She was planning something, and I very rarely enjoyed Josefina's plans. They either involved my embarrassment, or put me in a rather uncomfortable position. "Perhaps next time, Josie."


	7. A Keeper

**Suze's POV**

**December**

"Well, you look happy this fine afternoon," Josefina said as we walked through the school's main hallway together. "What in the world happened to make you so…cheerleader girl today?"

My smile widened. "I'm going to ignore that cheerleader comment, which would normally offend me, but only because I _am_ extremely happy today. I just found an apartment yesterday, _finally_. And the best part is that it's non-smoking." I rolled my eyes. "Paul took up the habit last year, and now I can't _stand_ the smell of cigarette smoke. It's disgusting, like him."

"When are you moving in?"

"Two weeks from tomorrow. I love my mom and Andy, and it's been really great spending time with them, but I'm ready to be in my own place. It'll be my first time in my own apartment. When I graduated high school, Paul and I moved in together right away. And this complex is really nice, and fairly cheap. It's got its own pool and tennis courts. How awesome is that?"

Josefina nodded, stopping outside her classroom. "Wicked awesome. That's completely understandable, wanting to be independent. Kudos to you. Hey, I have an idea. Do you have any objections to coming over to my place tonight? We can grade papers together." She waggled her eyebrows, as if suggesting that we should watch dirty movies or something.

I smiled, and said, "Sure." I shook my head and added, making my voice husky, "There's nothing that screams sexy as much as getting together with a friend to grade papers."

"I know, right? Nothing gets my blood hotter than having that red correction pen in hand," she said with a laugh. Then her face fell. "Oh, crap. I forgot that I'm watching my niece tonight. Would you still be willing to come over, even with a four-year-old running around and most likely not letting us actually get any work done?" She clasped her hands together and jutted out her lower lip. "Please, Suze? I could really use the help."

I sighed. "Okay, fine. Why are you watching her tonight? I thought your mom usually did that."

"Well, yeah, but she had something else going on, a book club I think, so I offered. Jesse should be dropping Cat off here soon. You'll absolutely love her. She's a cutie."

"How's your little nephew doing? He's a week old now, right?"

"He is. He's so sweet. He doesn't even cry very much, which my sister is very grateful about. He definitely got Benedict's pale-as-snow skin, but Marta's brown eyes. He's still bald, so we don't know what color of hair he'll have. I'm guessing he'll be blonde, like his dad."

"That sounds cute – wow," I murmured, seeing a _very_ attractive man walking toward us. He was just a little over six feet tall. Brown, smooth skin. Eyes so dark they were almost black. Crisp, black hair. Muscled chest peeking through the top of his partly unbuttoned shirt. Holding his hand was a little girl who looked almost exactly like him. It could only be Josefina's older brother and niece. "You didn't tell me that your brother was so…_gorgeous_," I hissed. That was an understatement. I didn't think there was a word that existed that could do this man justice. He was the personification of male perfection.

Josefina just laughed. She winked at me. "He is, isn't he? It runs in the family."

"Auntie Josie!" the little girl cried, as soon as she saw us. Releasing her father's hand, she raced to her aunt.

Josefina smiled and scooped her up. "Hello, Catarina. It's good to see you again."

Catarina glanced my way before whispering loudly, "Who is that?"

"She is a very good friend of mine."

The man smiled warmly at me, having caught up with his young daughter. Wow, even his _teeth_ were perfect. I mean, sure, he had a scar running through one of his eyebrows, but that somehow just made him even more beautiful. "Would I be wrong to assume that you are the new teacher my sister has befriended, Susannah Simon?"

I nodded, suddenly unable to get my throat to work. His voice was so…silky.

"I'm Jesse," he said, holding out his hand. His big, strong-looking hand. It was a nice hand. I could imagine that hand caressing my cheeks, my hair, holding my own hand.

I came out of my daydreams and shook it, finally finding my voice. "It's very nice to meet you."

"Same to you, Susannah." I _loved_ the way he said my name. I usually preferred to be called by my nickname, but when Jesse said Susannah, I melted. It was very…seductive. And I didn't think he was even _trying_ to make it sound that way! How unfair. But man, did I love my name on his tongue. I would have to make it happen more often…

Wait.

What was wrong with me? I didn't even know this guy. I mean, sure, he was hot as hell, but come on. This was the first time I'd ever met him. I should not have been obsessing over him. He was my best friend's brother! Isn't there some kind of rule against that? Not that I would know, since my only dating experience was with Paul Slater. Not really something to be proud of. Dating only Paul, I mean.

He smiled apologetically then. "I would love to stay and talk, but I really do need to get to work. Catarina."

The young girl looked at him. "Yes, Daddy?"

"Behave yourself for Aunt Josefina."

She nodded. "I will, I promise."

He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, smiling so lovingly that I swear I swooned a little. My knees gave out just a bit, and if I hadn't touched the wall for support, I might have fallen. "I will see you later, _princesa_. Josie, here's her overnight bag. I get off at six tomorrow morning. I'll pick her up shortly after that."

"All right. Drive safe."

"I will." He gave his daughter another kiss and left.

Josie smiled down at Catarina. "Are you ready to have some fun with me and Suze?"

"Soose is coming?" Catarina asked. It was cute, the way she said my name wrong.

"Yes."

"Okay. Can I paint her nails?"

"You'll have to ask her that," Josefina said with a laugh.

The little girl looked at me and smiled. "Soose? Can I? Pretty, pretty please?"

I smiled. Honestly, who could resist that face? I know I couldn't. "Sure you can. I'll let you paint my nails. I'll even let you paint my toenails. And you can pick whatever color you want."

Catarina gave her aunt a brilliant smile. "I like her. She's a keeper."


	8. Nothing

**Jesse's POV**

**January**

Yawning, I parked the car outside the ranch house. I loved our family Sunday dinners, but I was exhausted today. "_Papa_, are you tired?" my daughter questioned, cocking her head to the side.

I smiled slightly, nodding. "I am, _princesa_. It was a very long morning at work today. Did you have fun with your friend, Samantha?"

Her responding smile was brilliant. "I did. Daddy, we painted pictures with a special paint that doesn't get on the carpet or anything! It's magic paint, so it only paints the paper."

"That sounds really neat. What kind of picture did you make?"

"I painted a really pretty flower for Samantha's mommy. She was sad today, because she had a friend that died. So I gave her a picture to make her feel better."

I got out of the car and went around to help her out. I smiled lovingly at her. "That's very nice of you, Catarina. I'm sure it made her feel much better."

She held my hand as we walked into the house. She kept chattering about the exciting day she'd had with her friend. She stopped once she saw all of her aunts and uncles. Immediately, she broke away from me and gave each of them a hug, even though she saw them all at least once a week. She loved her family very much.

Josefina spun her around as she hugged her, both of them laughing. Mother smiled, watching them. "Well, dinner is ready, if all of you are ready to eat.

"Yummy!" Catarina exclaimed. She wiggled until her aunt pulled her down, and then raced into the dining room. She took her seat. I was starting to think that she'd had a little more sugar than usual at her friend's house. She wasn't usually this...hyper.

"Daddy?" Catarina asked, as I sat beside her at the large table. She was bouncing in her seat, causing my family to laugh at her as they all took their own seats.

"Yes, _princesa_?"I questioned with a chuckle of my own. It looked like she would have to get only a small portion of dessert tonight. There was already enough energy coursing through her, apparently.

"I saw Soose today. Auntie Josie's new friend."

She had fallen in love with Susannah the day she met her. Since then, she had been asking nearly nonstop when she would be able to see Susannah again. I've heard that she and Susannah not only painted each other's nails, but they also had a tea party and baked cookies together while they were both at Josefina's home. "You did? Where did you see her?"

"At the park, the one with the duck pond. Samantha's mommy took me and Samantha there for lunch and so we could feed the ducks after we ate. I was feeding one of them, and it started running after me, Daddy, and then I saw Soose," she said, almost in one breath.

I smiled at her enthusiasm. "Did you say hello to her?"

Her face fell, disappointment in her brown eyes. "No. I tried to, but she didn't hear me. She was too far away."

"I'm sorry."

Her eyes widened in a pleading way. "_Papa_, when can I play with her again? I had lots and lots of fun. We made really yummy cookies together. I want to play with her again."

I pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I don't know when you'll be able to play with her again. Like Aunt Josefina, I'm sure she's quite busy. She has to work hard."

Her face fell even more. She folded her arms over her chest, a small pout on her lips. "Oh. Can I play with baby Reece, then?"

I shook my head, chuckling softly. "No, _princesa_. Reece is too little for you to play with. You'll have to wait until he's older and stronger. You know that. Do you have any more silly questions before we start the meal?"

"Um…Yes!" she exclaimed, giggling. "Can I have ice cream for dinner tonight?" She giggled again, even though she already knew the answer.

"You can have ice cream _after_ you finish dinner. But not too much tonight, Catarina. You are already hyper enough. How many treats did you eat at Samantha's house?"

"Only a little bit, Daddy," she said, her voice too innocent, as I began filling her plate.

"Mmm-hmm. I think you had more than a little, _princesa_."

With yet another giggle, she turned her attention to the plate of food in front of her.

"Hector," my father began, "you mentioned something about a new apartment. Did you manage to find one you liked?"

I nodded. "Yes. It's only about five minutes away from the hospital, which will cut down on my commute by about ten minutes. It's just a simple two-bedroom apartment, but Catarina and both like it. Catarina's room has a view of the beach. The complex has its own pool, too. I've been thinking that I should teach Catarina how to swim, and having a pool at the complex will make it easier for me to do that."

Josefina gave me a curious look. "Where is this? It doesn't have a tennis court as well as the pool, does it?"

I frowned in her direction, wondering how she would have known that. This was the first time I'd said anything to any of my family about the apartment. "Actually, it does. Why?"

She shrugged, trying not to grin. She wasn't succeeding. "Oh, no reason. It's just that I've been there before. It's a really nice apartment complex. You'll like it. What floor are you on?"

"Second."

Her grin widened. She looked down in another attempt to hide her amusement. "Huh, very interesting. That's the best floor, in my opinion. You made a good choice."

"Josefina –"

"When are you moving in?" she interrupted.

I hesitated, not sure what was going through her head. "Next week."

"That's cool. Have you met any of your new neighbors yet?"

"No. Josefina, what are you -"

"Delicious food, _Madre_. Thank you so much."

I narrowed my eyes. "You haven't even eaten anything yet, Josie. You only said that to change the subject. What is going on?"

"Nothing," she sang.


	9. Soothing

**I might be putting up quite a few more chapters today, which should make you all happy. Thank you so much for all the reviews. I love reading what other people have to say. It doesn't take me very long to actually write the chapters, but since I write them in a notebook first, sometimes it takes me a little while to get them uploaded.**

**Suze's POV**

**March**

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, as the tub of ice cream slipped right out of the bag. I stared at it, wondering if it was even worth it to pick the dang thing up. I mean, really. I just wanted to go curl up in my bed and cry my eyes out as I read some trashy romance novel. I had also wanted to eat a ton of ice cream, but did I really need the extra sugar? Maybe it was better if the tub stay on the floor. I knew that if I tried to pick up the ice cream, I'd just drop everything else. And I didn't need to deal with that, too. I was thinking about my miscarriage – again. I just couldn't get it out of my mind. Some days, like today, were worse than others. Some days, the emotional pain was almost too much.

"Soose!" a little voice cried out. Then a small, familiar body collided with my legs.

A smile pulled at my lips, of its own accord. "Hey, Catarina." It had been a while since I'd seen her, not since Ihad helped Josefina watch her. It was amazing how much better I felt, just seeing this little girl's smiling face. I was still sad, but I wasn't _as_ sad as I had been before she'd run into my legs. "I didn't expect to see you here. What are you doing?"

She beamed up at me. Behind her, I could see Jesse approaching. Butterflies immediately filled my stomach. "Daddy and me live here now," she told me.

"Daddy and I," Jesse correctly absently.

She giggled, covering her mouth with her hands. "Oops. Daddy and _I_ live in that one right there." She pointed to an apartment only a few doors down from my own.

I frowned. "How long have you been living there?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. _Papa_?" she asked, looking back at her father.

"About a month," Jesse answered, scooping his daughter into his arms. He kissed her cheek.

My frown deepened. "Holy crap. I have been _extremely_ unobservant lately. You've been living here for an entire month, and I didn't notice?"

He smiled, making my heart pound. Why did he have to be so dang _hot_? Seriously. "You certainly aren't the only one. I didn't realize that you lived here, either. Now that I think about it, though, Josefina was hinting at something when she found out where I was moving to." He shook his head. "Would you like some help with your groceries?"

Catarina's eyes lit up. She bounced in her father's arms. "Ooh! I want to help Soose, Daddy! Can I help her, please?"

He chuckled. "If Susannah says that you can."

She turned those dark eyes to me. "Can I help you, Soose? Please? I'll put things exactly where you tell me to, I promise."

"Yeah, you can help," I said, unable to say no to that adorable face. And maybe I could distract myself for a little while. "I'd like that, Catarina."

Catarina jumped to the ground and picked up the ice cream carton, grinning proudly. Jesse took both bags from me, leaving my hands free to unlock my door. As the three of us began putting the groceries away – they insisted on doing more than just bringing in the food – Jesse asked me a question that took me completely by surprise.

"Why don't you have dinner with me and my daughter tonight?" He didn't even hesitate when he asked me, like it was no big deal.

I stared at him, shocked. "What?" I didn't think he was asking me on a date, since he would have his daughter there as well. But if he was asking me out, I wasn't sure if I was quite ready for that. I had a lot of baggage, for lack of a better word, that I was trying to get rid of.

"As newly discovered neighbors," he clarified. "Catarina has been begging me to allow her to play with you again. Besides, you look a little sad tonight, Susannah. I thought you might enjoy the company. You don't have to if you're uncomfortable with it."

"I –"

"Please, Soose?" Catarina begged. "I can show you all of my toys! And we can play together while Daddy cooks. He makes really good food, Soose."

How could I resist that adorable face? I sighed. "All right."

We finished putting away all of the groceries, and then I followed Jesse and Catarina to their apartment. It was very simply decorated, with quite a few bookcases. All full of books. It seemed that Jesse, at least, was an avid book reader.

It was a little awkward at first, until Catarina pulled me toward her room to show me all of her toys. While I was playing with her, Jesse began cooking. Whatever he was making smelled amazing. My mouth was watering by the time Catarina and I joined him for the meal.

We talked. Catarina told me about a dozen stories about her friends. Before I knew it, it was eight o'clock and I was helping the little girl get ready for bed. Once she was asleep, I planned on going back to my own apartment. Instead, I got to talking with Jesse. We talked about Maria and Paul. I didn't say anything about my miscarriage, but I ended up telling him about everything else with Paul. And he confided in me about Maria.

It was a...soothing evening. By the time I got into my bed that night, I felt better. I hadn't forgotten about my miscarriage and the sadness I'd felt earlier, but I wasn't sunk in a deep depression or anything. And I was a little touched that Jesse had confided in me.


	10. Reunion Part 1

**Jesse's POV**

**May**

I pulled into the driveway of my sister's rental home, parking beside a small red car that seemed somewhat familiar, though I couldn't place where I had seen it before. In the backseat, Catarina was chattering excitedly. "The first thing I want to do, Daddy, is see the monkeys. Monkeys are silly, huh?"

"Yes, they are, _princesa_. Silly like you."

"_Papa_!" she objected. "I'm not silly!"

I just chuckled, as I made my way around the car to help her out of her seat. I picked up her small backpack and then carried her to the front door. I entered the house, knocking as I did so.

"I love that dress on you, Suze. As my sister Carmen would say, _*los hombres no podrán dejar de babear cuando te ven con ese vestido_," Josefina's voice said.

"I need to meet this Carmen," Susannah responded. "She sounds like my kind of girl."

I grinned, seeing Susannah and my sister standing in the living room. I felt myself smile warmly as I looked at Susannah. She looked beautiful, wearing a dark blue sweater dress. Her soft chestnut hair hung loosely down her back, almost to her waist. Her make-up was very simple, accentuating her natural beauty. "You certainly share Carmen's high sense of fashion," I stated.

Susannah gave a small squeal. She turned to face me. "Jesse. What are you doing here?" she asked breathlessly.

"I'm dropping Catarina off for the day. Josefina was going to take her to the zoo."

Josefina hit her hand against her forehead. "Oh, no. I completely forgot about that. I also promised that I'd go to Suze's class reunion with her today. Ah, dang it. Where is my brain lately? I swear, these stupid high schoolers have ruined my memory."

I frowned. Josefina was hardly a forgetful person. Her memory was as sharp as a tack, which one of the things that made her such an excellent teacher. And I could have sworn that she was trying to hide a grin as she rambled on. "I suppose Catarina will just have to wait to visit the zoo, then."

"Daddy! You promised I could go today!" Catarina argued.

I sighed. "I know. If your Aunt Josefina can't take you, though, I'll take you, _princesa_. You can still go today."

She shook her head, folding her arms in a pout. "No. _Papa_, I want to go with Aunt Josefina, today. I don't want to go with you. You promised me that I could go with Auntie Josie."

I kissed her cheek. It seemed that she was going to be in an ornery mood. "Another day, Catarina."

"Oh, don't do that," Susannah said, watching my daughter. I could see that while Catarina's pout had no effect on me – I was mostly immune to it most days – it was melting Susannah's heart. "Josie can take her to the zoo. I don't want her to miss out on that because of me. I can go to my reunion on my own. It's no big deal, really."

"What if Paul shows up –" my sister began.

"I'll deal with it," Susannah said, trying to sound nonchalant. She had told me about Paul Slater, the man she had been engaged to before she moved here. Not only did he cheat on her, he did so in her own home. At least Maria always met Diego somewhere else. I had that much to be grateful for. "If my stupid, cheating, ex-fiancé shows up, I'll either kick the snot out of him or just leave."

Josefina bit her lip. "You shouldn't have to go on your own. Wait! I have an idea! Jesse!" She turned to me, her eyes shining. Whatever she had up her sleeve, this had obviously been a part of it. She acted as though she had just barely come up with the idea, but I knew better. I'd known her long enough to know that she had been planning this. "_You_ can go with Suze, and I'll take Cat to the zoo. That way, everybody's happy. Suze has somebody to go with, and I can keep my promise to Cat."

Her suggestion put me on edge. It seemed that Josefina had taken over my mother's role as matchmaker. While I enjoyed Susannah's company, I wasn't sure if I was ready to take it to the next level by going on what amounted to a date with her. Not quite yet.

My sister was trying to set me up. I knew Josefina hadn't forgotten about taking my daughter to the zoo. "Josefina, may I talk to you in private for a moment?"

"No," she said simply. "Suze really needs to get going, so you need to decide –"

"Josefina," Susannah interrupted, forcing a smile. "Really, I'll be fine. I don't _have_ to have someone go with me. I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Her attempt to act so nonchalant about it all pulled at my heart. She had been through a lot. I could understand that. If her ex-fiance did show up, she shouldn't have to deal with that on her own. "I'll go," I said. "I didn't have anything else going on today."

"Jesse, you don't have –"

"I want to. You shouldn't have to face Slater on your own." I set Catarina on the ground, giving her the backpack. "Be good for Aunt Josefina. And say hello to the monkeys for me."

She giggled. "You're silly, _Papa_. Monkeys don't talk."

"I am silly, then. I love you."

"Love you, too." She kissed my cheek.

I stood up. "Would you prefer to take your car, or mine?" I asked Susannah.

"Uh…I'll drive."

**Okay, so here are the translations. I hope that it's right. Since I don't speak Spanish, I used Google Translate. I don't know how correct it is. I'm sorry if it's not.**

***Men won't be able to stop drooling when they see you in that dress.**


	11. Reunion Part 2

**Suze's POV**

**May**

My heart was pounding in my chest. My hands were sweating on the steering wheel. And I kept peeking at the beautiful man sitting beside me.

Jesse made me nervous. _Really_ nervous. It wasn't a bad nervous, either, like I thought he was going to have his wicked way with me. I didn't think he was the type of guy that would do that. Unlike some guys – ahem, Paul Slater. I was nervous because I _wanted_ Jesse to have his wicked way with me, and that freaked me out. I didn't think I was ready for feelings like that, not so soon after everything with Paul. I mean, it hadn't even been a full year since the miscarriage and me catching him cheating.

The ride to the Mission Academy was an awkward one. I tried to keep my eyes on the road the entire ten minutes, though I kept looking at him. Of course, those ten minutes felt more like a million. I really hoped that Jesse couldn't tell how nervous I was.

I was surprised when I pulled into the parking lot and Jesse said, "I'm sorry." And he sounded very sincere, too. He really was sorry. For what, I didn't know.

I frowned at him, momentarily forgetting my discomfort. "For what?"

"I should not have fallen into my sister's trap. You're clearly uncomfortable." I guess he'd noticed.

"What trap?"

He laughed softly, shaking his head. "You've known her long enough, I'm sure, to realize that she has a very devious mind. It doesn't take long at all to see that. And she is not a forgetful woman."

I sighed. "I know. I don't know what she's up to. But it's okay, really. I don't know if Paul will show up or not, but I'm kind of glad that I won't have to deal with him on my own if he does. Adam and CeeCee, my two best friends from high school, will probably be here, but I don't know how long they'll stay. They have a baby boy at home, and he's only about a year old, so I doubt that they'll want to be here longer than an hour or so."

"Do you think Slater will show up today?"

I sighed again. "I don't know. Maybe. He doesn't really care about his classmates, but he might want to talk to me. And why do you call him by his last name?" I asked, curious. Ever since I'd told him about Paul, that was the only way he would refer to him. I had no idea why.

He grinned tightly. "I don't really like him, to be honest. From what you've told me, he is not a man that should be trusted or respected. I don't think very highly of him at the moment."

"Oh." I got out of the car. "Well, come on. I'll…introduce you to some of my old classmates."

I started to feel a little better and less awkward after he'd been introduced to Adam and CeeCee. CeeCee gave me a sly wink when she found out he was an ER doctor, which I ignored. I knew what she was thinking, but I wasn't getting into that conversation. I told them that Jesse was just a friend, which Adam seemed to take at face value. CeeCee knew better, though. And I knew I would be getting a phone call later, asking me what exactly was going on between me and the _good_ _doctor_.

Not that I knew. I'd only talked to him a few times. It wasn't like we were dating. Or even friends, really.

Jesse asked them questions about their son, Charles. Then he gave a few tips about the teething stage, having gone through it all with Catarina. I was actually enjoying myself. Adam, of course, made a bunch of inappropriate comments. Jesse was very good-natured about it all, somewhat ignoring Adam's vulgarity.

Then Kelly Prescott arrived. We had never really gotten along in high school. She was one of the "it" girls, while I wasn't – even though I was our class vice president and she was the president. People just liked me because I was from New York originally. And Kelly hated me once I started dating Paul. She liked him, a lot. She even tried to steal him from me a few times.

Now I wished I'd let her.

"Suze? Is that you? Where's Paul?" she asked, with a fake smile plastered on her face. She hadn't even been here two minutes, and already she was plotting to seduce Paul. Wouldn't be hard. Seducing Paul, I mean. Apparently, he's not too picky.

I shrugged. "Don't know, don't care. We're not together anymore."

"Is that so?" she asked, trying and failing to hide a smirk. Then she caught sight of my companion. I swear she licked her lips. "And who is this hottie?"

Don't ask me what made me do what I did next. I don't really know. Except…the guy didn't deserve someone like Kelly hounding after him. His daughter didn't deserve it, either. And so I couldn't let her just dive in for the kill. There had to be a reason she was still single, after all. As far as I knew, she'd never had a relationship that lasted more than six months. Jesse didn't deserve that.

I didn't do it because I was starting to really _like_ him or anything.

But anyway, I looped my arm through his and smiled sweetly at Kelly. "This is Jesse de Silva. He's my boyfriend."

Everybody stared at me, especially Jesse. But I couldn't turn back now. I just had to keep going and hope nothing backfired on me. Things usually did. Backfired on me, Imean.

"I thought you said –" Adam began, before CeeCee kicked his shin and told him to shut up.

"Susannah –"

"Suze, babe! _There_ you are."

I groaned, feeling my stomach plummet. I guess I wasn't as over him as I thought I was.


	12. Reunion Part 3

**Jesse's POV**

**May**

I saw all of the blood drain from Susannah's face when she turned and caught sight of the man walking toward us. He was attractive, with curly brown hair and tan skin, but there was a coldness in his blue eyes. He was about an inch or two below my own height, and about as muscular as I was. I noticed that Susannah began to tremble as he got closer.

Almost instinctively, I pulled her closer to myself. I wanted to protect her, from whatever I could. I hardly knew her, but that didn't stop me from wanting to keep her safe. Instead of resisting, as I'd assumed she would, she accepted my comfort, leaning into me. "What do you want, Paul?" she asked tiredly.

Slater glanced at me briefly before saying to Susannah, "Look, I just want to talk to you." He was talking softly, as though to a scared horse. "You kinda took off before I could really say anything. And you've been ignoring my phone calls and emails."

"That's because I don't want to hear your stupid excuses." She narrowed her green eyes at him.

He sent her a charming smile, trying to smooth things over. "Babe, just…come on. Hear me out. Let's go somewhere and talk, just you and me. We can work this out."

"No. Paul, I don't want to work things out. I'm done with you. We're over. And don't call me babe. Leave me alone."

"Suze," he said, wrapping his hand around her wrist. "Don't be like this."

"Excuse me," I interrupted coldly. Fury began to build in me at the sight of him touching her. Could he not see how upset she was? Or did he just not care about her feelings at all? "I believe that she told you to leave her alone."

He sneered at me. "Yeah? She's _my_ fiancée, so I don't see how it's any of your business."

"It is my business, because I'm her –" Before I could inform him that I was her boyfriend, though I wasn't quite sure if it was true, Susannah shrieked his name.

I didn't see her move, though I did feel her pull away from me, but Paul was doubled over only an instant later, holding himself in a very sensitive area. "Don't you dare, Paul," she growled at him. CeeCee was looking at her with pride in her eyes. Adam looked a little stunned. And the woman who had approached us looked like she had never seen such a sight before. "I am _not_ your fiancée, not anymore. I thought I made that perfectly clear when I threw the damn ring at your head, right after I caught you _cheating_ on me, in our bed."

"Suze," he wheezed, still doubled over. She must have kicked him hard. I can't truthfully say that I felt sorry for him. I was, surprisingly, a little proud of Susannah myself. I would normally never wish that kind of pain on a man, but I found that I was glad she had kicked him. He deserved the pain. "Why are you so emotional about it? It was _one_ freaking time –"

"So you say. You do realize that I don't believe that for a single second, right? How many other women have you seen behind my back?"

"None. I -"

"Whatever, Paul. You're only saying that because I haven't found out about the others. That's why you weren't really in a rush to start making wedding plans, isn't it? Because you were cheating on me. I don't even know why you bothered proposing, honestly."

"Suze -"

"Do you know why I was home early that day? Why I wasn't out for the weekend, like I was supposed to be? I was _pregnant_, Paul! With your baby! I came home to tell you about the miscarriage I had just had, not even an hour before that." I froze. She had told me about Paul's infidelity, but nothing about a baby or a miscarriage. It was no wonder she was so sad sometimes. She had suffered even more than I had thought. "We are _over_. I never want to see your face again."

She tugged on my arm, pulling me toward the door. I couldn't blame her for wanting to get away from him as soon as possible. Besides, I wanted to talk to her.

"And just where the hell do you think you're going?"

Susannah opened her mouth to speak, but I did it first. I turned toward Slater and said, "That's nothing that you have a right to know, Paul Slater. She's not with you anymore and you need to accept that. Now leave my girlfriend alone." This time, when I said it, I knew that that's what she was to me. We still needed to discuss it, but I wanted to be with Susannah. It seemed that I kept learning something about her that proved more and more just how strong she is. I admired her strength.

Susannah and I left the school. We stood beside her car in the parking lot, quiet. I politely gave her a moment to compose herself. Then Susannah said, "Thanks. And I'm really sorry about making you pretend to be my boyfriend. That was probably really awkward for you, and I'm sure that you don't like me like that. I don't want you to feel pressured or anything, so I'm...I'm sorry." She scrubbed at her eyes, muttering, "Damn dirt."

"Susannah." She looked up at me, and that was when kissed her.


	13. Don't Know

**Now you all will get to know what happened after that kiss! Hope you are all enjoying it. Don't forget to let me know what you think. I'm enjoying writing this, and so I really hope that you like reading it.**

**Suze's POV**

**May**

"So, what's going on with you and Jesse?" Josefina asked slyly, wagging her eyebrows.

I narrowed my eyes at her. I hadn't had a chance to chew her out for her sneaky little plan yet. "Thanks for setting us up, you brat. I know that's what you were trying to do. And I don't know _what's_ going on with us," I told her, plopping onto her small couch beside her. "I haven't heard from him in a few days, not since the reunion. I haven't even bumped into him in the hall outside our apartments. It's like he's avoiding me."

Josefina frowned, holding a bowl of popcorn in my direction. "Have you stopped by to talk to him? And you never did tell me how the reunion went. Did you have a fun time with my brother?"

"No to the first question, yes to the second. I've thought about dropping by his place, but I keep chickening out."

"What _happened_, though?" she demanded. "Something must have happened at that reunion. What aren't you telling me?"

I sighed, hesitating. I wasn't sure what to tell her. I didn't really understand it myself. I still wasn't even sure if I hadn't just dreamed it. Maybe that was why he hadn't said anything about it, because it hadn't really happened.

Oh, who was I kidding? I knew it happened. I just didn't know why he hadn't talked to me since.

"We…kissed. No," I corrected, "_he_ kissed _me_. He initiated it, which is kind of a new thing for me. I'm usually the who starts make-out sessions, not the other way ar–"

"Wait just a moment," she interrupted me, her eyes wide. "Are you trying to tell me that my brother actually _made-out_ with you? As in more than just a simple peck on the lips? Full-on French?"

"Yes."

"Whoa." She looked a little stunned. "He doesn't do that until the third or fourth date. That's what all of his past girlfriends have said. What led up to this?"

Sighing, I rubbed my forehead. "I don't really know. I mean, one of my old classmates looked like she was going to eat him alive. And really, nobody deserves to have Kelly Prescott chasing after them. So I kind of said that he was my boyfriend. But then Paul showed up, and Jesse told Paul to leave me alone, calling me his girlfriend. I thought he was just going along with what I said, and then he was going to interrogate me about why I did that. He didn't, though. Instead, he started kissing me. Then we got interrupted by a gh–" I broke off suddenly, horrified that I had almost spilled my secret. It had taken me twenty-four years to tell my own _family_. And yet I almost blurted it to Josefina, whom I'd known less than a year.

She grinned. "You can see ghosts, too?"

I was shocked. I stammered, "W- what? Can you?"

Grinning wider, she shook her head. "No, but Jesse can. And Carmen. I think they inherited the ability from one of our great-grandmas or something. They're the only two that can, though, out of the six of us kids. And neither of my parents can. But we all know about it."

I felt my eyes bug. "_Jesse_ can? He didn't…He acted like…" He had acted like _I_ had, actually. We both had just wanted to get out of there. I thought it might have been because he regretted kissing me. But him wanting to get away from a ghost made more sense. I mean, I know I am not a bad kisser. I can't be.

Right?

"Nobody but our family knows. The only other person that he'd ever told was Maria, but that was after they were engaged. So what happened after the ghost showed up? Did he French you some more?"

I scrunched up my nose. She was acting like this was just any hot guy, not her brother. She actually wanted to hear the details of my French kiss with her _brother_? She is one strange woman. "I can't believe you're talking about your own brother like that. And no. We left. I didn't want the ghost to do something that would be hard to explain. That's happened to me a lot over the years. And, of course, I didn't know that he could see the dead guy, too. We left in a hurry. It was way awkward. And I haven't heard from him since."

"You know, I haven't really heard from him, either," she said thoughtfully. "I'm sure he's not ignoring you on purpose or anything like that. He's not really that kind of guy. Jesse is about the sweetest guy I've ever met, and I'm not just saying that because he's my brother. He's really kind of a gentleman. My dad ingrained in him the importance of respecting women when we were growing up."

I sighed again. "I just don't know what to think. Are we dating? Are we even friends? I don't know."

"I'll give him a call tonight, see what's going on. Maybe something came up at work."

"I just...I don't want to get my hopes up only to have them crushed. Not so soon after Paul. I can't handle that, Josie."

She gave me a tight hug. "I know, girlie. Like I said, I'll talk to him. I'll find out why he's been off the radar lately. Whatever the reason, I'm sure it's an important one. Jesse's just that kind of guy. Don't worry."

I smiled at her. "Thanks, Josie."


	14. Dreaded

**Jesse's POV**

**May**

I pressed the phone closer to my ear as I cleaned the counter. I should have done it last night, as soon as I got home from taking Catarina to my parents' home. I had been too exhausted, though. And I didn't have time this morning, due to a last minute call into work. "Thank you so much for watching her today, and yesterday. Her fever hasn't come back, has it?" I asked worriedly. I had meant to call the night before, around the time that Catarina would be going to bed. I fell asleep, though, which meant that a lot of things I'd meant to do didn't happen. Such as cleaning the counter, calling my mother, or calling Susannah.

"No, no. She's quite energetic right now, in fact. She's out riding with your father. We've been checking her temperature every hour, just to be sure. It's been normal since she got here. Well, it was a little higher than average the first few times, but then it went back down to where it should be before she even went to bed last night. She's fine, Jesse. And she's having the time of her life right now. You know how much she loves to ride Santiago with your father."

I smiled. "Yes, she does. I think she loves it because Father can get Santiago to gallop faster than any of the other horses on the ranch. She loves the speed. Thank you again, _Mama_. I needed the small break. Catarina has been so sick lately. As much as I love my daughter, it will be nice to have some time alone, to relax." I knew I couldn't relax quite yet, though. I still needed to talk to Susannah.

"What's this about you going to a party with one of Josie's co-workers? Catarina was rambling about it just before she went out with your father."

I sighed. I knew my mother would find out sooner rather than later. And she would want to know every minute detail about it. And then, she'd probably try to rush things along between myself and Susannah. I was worried that rushing it would ruin it. I did not want my mother interfering. While her intentions were good, sometimes her matchmaking didn't work out. I didn't want that to happen with Susannah. "I went to a class reunion with Susannah. It wasn't a party. It was…well, complicated."

"Hmm." Her tone told me that she could read my emotions somewhat through _my_ own tone. She knew me. And she knew when I was starting to really like a woman. "I think that I need to meet –"

"_Madre_, please."

She sighed. "I'm sorry. I love you, Jesse. We'll see you tomorrow."

"I love you, too, _Mama_. Tell Catarina that I love her, please."

"I will."

We hung up. I sighed, returning the phone to its cradle. Then I just stared at it, not wanting to move. I was going to have to face Susannah now, even though I didn't really want to. I didn't have anything else to stall my time with.

A knock sounded. Frowning, I opened the door to find…

Susannah Simon.

She smiled warmly at me, which told me that she wasn't upset about me not talking to her since that kiss. Either that, or she was an extremely good actress. "Hey. Is it okay if I come in?"

"Yes, of course. I was just about to come talk to you, actually. I'm very sorry that I didn't call you sooner. Catarina –"

"Was sick," she finished for me. "I know. Josie told me that she got sick the same night of the reunion. I'm sorry about that. I brought some cookies for her, if she's up to eating them. Is she doing any better?"

I felt myself smile. She really was a sweet person. She didn't have to bring cookies for my daughter, and yet she chose to. "Yes, she's doing a lot better. She's with my parents now. She spent the night with them, so I could have a little break. I was going to call you last night, but I fell asleep. And then I got called into work for a few hours this morning."

"Jesse, I understand. It's okay, really. I'm not mad at you or anything. You had a sick daughter. That's not your fault. But I really do think that we should talk about what happened last week."

I nodded, gesturing for her take a seat on the couch. It was the conversation I'd been dreading. I should not have kissed her like that. I should have waited. "I'm sorry, Susannah. I shouldn't have kissed you like that the other –"

"Are you kidding me?" she asked with a laugh. "The kiss was great, Jesse. It was the best kiss I've ever had. Don't be sorry for that. It was kind of...exactly what I needed, I think. _I_ wanted to apologize for putting you in that awkward situation, especially when I told Kelly that you were my boyfriend. I shouldn't have done that. She's just…kind of…a spoiled rich brat who would treat you like crap. And I didn't think you deserved to have to deal with her. She would be toxic for you and Catarina."

I smiled at her. "Susannah, I'm not upset about that."

"You're not?" She seemed surprised. "I mean, I totally put you on the spot. You're not upset about that even the tiniest bit? I know I would be."

I shook my head. "I'm not. It did not bother me. I'm glad you saved me from Kelly, if you think she would be toxic for me and my daughter. I only want what's best for Catarina."

"So…where do we go from here?"

"Well, we could go out to dinner and a movie together tonight?"

She grinned, her green eyes lighting up. "Like a date?"

"A date," I agreed, praying that she would say yes.

"I'd love that."


	15. Most Important

**Suze's POV**

**June**

I laced my fingers through Jesse's strong brown ones as we entered the store together. Catarina was holding my other hand tightly. She looked up at me, her brown eyes wide. "Soose? Are you coming to my birthday party tomorrow?"

I smiled down at her. "Of course I am, sweetie. I wouldn't miss the birthday party of my favorite little girl." And she really had become my favorite little girl. I loved my niece, Chloe, but I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with her, besides at our family dinners. Catarina I saw almost every day now. And I was beginning to love her very much.

Her eyes lit up. "Really? I'm your favorite? Ever? In the whole wide world?"

Swinging our arms gently, I replied, "Of course you are. I think I like you even more than I like your Aunt Josefina."

She giggled at that. "Why does Daddy call you _querida _sometimes?" she asked curiously.

"She is very dear to my heart, Catarina," Jesse answered for me. "She's the second most important girl in my life."

Most women might have gotten upset about that comment, about not being the most important girl in a man's life. But I knew that Catarina _always_ came first in Jesse's life. I was okay with that. More than okay, actually. She was quickly becoming the most important thing in _my_ life as well. Jesse was such a good father because he put his baby girl before everybody else. I loved him all the more for it.

"Soose? Do you love my daddy?"

My smiled widened. "I love him very, very much."

"Good," she said, entirely serious. She really cared about her father. He had raised her well, and I think she knew that. She could be very perceptive sometimes. She knew that Jesse always tried his best for her. "_Papa_ works really hard, and he takes care of me all the time because he loves me lots. So somebody should love _him_ lots and take care of him. I'm too little to take care of him. I do love him lots, though."

"She takes very good care of me, _princesa_," Jesse said, glancing at me with a loving smile. "And you do take good care of me, as well, even though you're little. I'm lucky to have such a wonderful daughter. Have you decided what you want for lunch at your party?"

She nodded, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I did, Daddy. I want macaroni and cheese, with hot dogs in it! It's really yummy like that."

"All right. We'll make that."

I lifted her into my arms, tapping her nose. "You're going to be a whole five years old tomorrow. Aren't you excited?"

"Uh-huh. I can't wait to open my presents, Soose." She leaned forward to whisper into my ear. "I already know what _Papa_ got me. I peeked. But shh, don't tell him." She giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her hands.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my boyfriend smile. I was sure that he'd seen her peeking, but he had decided to indulge her a bit. He caught her almost every single time she tried to be sneaky. He was even more sneaky than she was. "Okay," I whispered back. "I promise I won't tell him. What did he get you?"

She looked at her father to make sure he wasn't listening – though she didn't realize that her whisper wasn't very quiet. "He got me a doll that has hair that changes color in the water. I always wanted that one. And I told him that's the one I wanted. And he got it for me!"

"Ooh, that sounds –"

"Suze. I didn't expect to see you here."

My stomach plummeted. "Paul," I said, facing him. "Why aren't you back in Seattle?"

He smirked. "Annual summer vacation, remember? Where I meet up with my parents at the Pebble Beach Resort?"

I sighed heavily. How stupid of me. Too bad there wasn't a chance of me seeing Jack. I actually liked Paul's brother, but he refused to visit with Paul and his parents because they always ignored him and treated him like a little kid. "Right. How could I have forgotten? Well, goodbye. I don't really want to talk to you. And I have a birthday party to shop for."

"Suze –"

"Go," Jesse commanded coldly, wrapping his arm possessively around my waist. I used to get mad when guys did that, because I felt like they were treating me like property. It wasn't like that with Jesse. When he did it, it was like he was saying that he would be there for me. That we were in this together. "She's moved on from you, Slater. And now you need to move on yourself."

"Leave my Soose alone," Catarina said fiercely, hugging her arms around my neck. She had easily picked up on the fact that Paul was not a nice guy. I doubt even Brad could miss the tension in the atmosphere.

Without another word, the three of us turned away from Paul and continued our shopping. The whole thing just made me love Jesse and Catarina even more.


	16. Hector?

**Sorry that this chapter is a little bit shorter. Hope you still like it.**

**Jesse's POV**

**June**

I parked the car in front of the ranch house. I turned to Susannah. "My mother is very excited to meet you. She might be a little…_over_excited. She may try to smother you, in her own way."

She smiled at me. "I think I'll survive. Besides, it's your turn tomorrow to meet _my_ family." She gave me an evil smirk. "Jake and Heidi will probably be dealing with a screaming Chloe, so they might not even notice you. She just started her terrible twos. Brad will say something stupid. He always does. He has the IQ of a speck of dirt. And his girlfriend, Debbie, is a troll. If she'll even be there. David will probably recite something from a scientific book. My mom will coo and get all sappy. And my stepdad will interrogate you."

I felt myself smile. "It makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about it," I teased. "In fact…"

She gave my arm a small push. "Don't even, Jesse. You are not getting out of it, no matter how sick you pretend to be."

"Daddy? Are we going to go inside?" Catarina asked patiently, reminding me of where we were.

"Of course."

Susannah helped her out of her seat. Then we went into the house. The entire family was waiting in the living room. They had been begging to meet Susannah since I had started dating her the previous month.

"Jesse," my mother greeted, beaming at us. She got to her feet. "Hello, Catarina. And this must be Susannah."

"That's me. Feel free to call me Suze, if you want."

"Family, this is Susannah Simon," I introduced. Then I pointed to each of my family members as I introduced them to Susannah. "This is my mother, Isabel. Beside her is my father, Alberto. Over there is Marta, holding her son, Reece. That's her husband, Benedict Harrison. You know Josefina and her fiancé, Derek. There's Mercedes holding hands with her boyfriend, Christian Knowles. That's Carmen, and that's Rosaria. She's the only one still in the house."

"It's nice to meet you all."

"We're very glad to _finally_ get to meet you," Mother said, pulling Susannah into a quick hug. "We just wonder why it's taken Jesse so long to bring you by."

I sighed. "We don't want to rush things, _Mama_."

Josefina rolled her eyes. "That's just your excuse. You wanted her to be in love with you enough that she wouldn't get scared when she met Marta."

"Josefina…" Marta warned.

"And you're only bringing her by now," Josefina continued, pretending not to have heard her older sister, "because my wedding is in a week. And since she's your date, she needs to meet the whole family _before_ the wedding. You knew you couldn't put it off any longer."

"Have I ever told you how irritating you can be?" I asked her.

"Hector, Josefina, enough," Father said with a sigh. "You both are much too old for this nonsense."

"_Hector_?" Susannah repeated, looking at me. She looked like she was trying not to laugh at me. Wonderful. That was the exact reason I hadn't told her my first name. I knew she would make fun of me. She has a sense of humor like Josefina's. "You told me that you go by your middle name, and now I can see why you refused to tell me what your first name was. _Hector_?"

My daughter giggled. "Only Grandpapa calls Daddy that. Daddy doesn't like it."

My father looked a little offended. He always did when he was reminded that I disliked the name he'd given me. "I don't see what is wrong with the name Hector. It was your grandfather's name."

"It's a lovely name, dear," Mother consoled. "It's just not very common anymore."

Father huffed, irritated.

Susannah chortled once, apparently unable to keep it in any longer. "Hector."

I sighed. "I am never going to hear the end of it, am I?"

She shook her head, biting her lip. "Probably not."


	17. Pain and Healing

**Suze's POV**

**August**

I clutched the grainy picture to my chest. I still had to finish my make-up and put on my shoes, but I knew I was not going to be able to go out, not like this. I didn't want Jesse to see me so distraught. I was a mess.

Of course, that was when someone knocked on my door. I ignored it, hoping that if it was Jesse, he would understand that I didn't want to be bothered.

"Susannah?" his voice called, as he opened the door.

"Please, go away," I whispered. I didn't want him there, seeing me like this. He would probably hate me after this.

He didn't go away, like I'd told him. Instead, he came into the apartment and sat on the floor beside me. He swept the hair out of my face. "Susannah, what is wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked softly.

I just shook my head, holding the picture even closer.

Gently, he tugged the picture out of my hands. He looked at it, then back at me. I expected to see pity in his dark brown eyes. But I didn't. There was only love and understanding. "Is the ultrasound of the baby you lost?"

I nodded. "It happened one year ago, exactly. I had forgotten. I had forgotten the exact date of the miscarriage. Jesse, I don't think I can go on our date –"

"Shh," he said, pressing his finger to my lips. "We'll reschedule the date. Don't worry about that. I have an idea that might help you get some closure. Do you have anything else about the baby?"

I was confused. "Yeah. I bought a few booties and toys and stuff. But –"

"Do you trust me, Susannah?"

"Yes."

"Go get all the stuff, then, please. Trust me, Susannah." So I did. I trusted him and got all of the baby things. Then we went to his car together. We rode in awkward silence, until we pulled up in front of his parents' ranch house.

"What are we doing here?"

His expression was unreadable. I wondered if I should be worried. But no, I trusted Jesse, as I'd said. "You'll see," he responded. "Will you be all right to stay out here for just a few minutes? I doubt you'll want Catarina, my parents, or Rosaria to see you upset."

He already knew me so well. "I'll be fine."

He hurried into the house. He was gone for less than five minutes. When he came back out, he was holding a small, ornate box and a little hand shovel. "Follow me. There's a path that leads to a private clearing. We'll go there."

I followed him, carrying my own box.

Once we reached the clearing, Jesse turned to me. He set his box and shovel on the ground. "You didn't get a chance to name the baby, did you?" he asked me gently.

"No. I didn't even know the gender. I always did think it was a boy, though. Or maybe I just really wanted a boy. I don't know."

"If you don't want to do this, I understand. You don't have to do anything that you're not comfortable with or you don't feel that you're ready for," he assured me. "But I think that you should give the baby a name. Then you can bury some of those items that you brought with you, in this box. We'll make a little headstone for him as well. It might help you get the closure that you need. It will give you something physical to help you mourn and move on."

Tears filled my eyes. Never had a man gone through so much to help me. And it wasn't that what he was doing was at all hard. It was a really simple thing. But it meant so much to me. I threw my arms around Jesse, hugging him tightly. "You are the sweetest guy ever." I pulled back, wiping at my eyes. I glanced down at the stuff I'd brought with me. Ultrasound, booties, bib, rattle, and the journal that I'd started writing in the day I had learned of my pregnancy. "I think…Alexander Joseph…Simon," I whispered. I didn't want to give him the same name as his father. He deserved better than that.

Jesse smiled at me, his eyes full of warmth and just complete understanding. He was the perfect guy. "That's a wonderful name, Susannah. I am sure that he would have been a wonderful boy."

We got started. Jesse had put a small bottle of paint and a brush inside the box, that he took out so we could use later. We dug the hole, then filled the ornate box with all of the baby items that I'd brought. Once that was buried, we painted the baby's name on a large rock, placing that over the new grave. We stood, holding each other, and stared at the little grave.

"Thank you. Thank you for being willing to do this, here. I appreciate it." I gulped and pulled away from him. I picked a few wildflowers to set on the handmade headstone. And as I stared at it, I felt my heartache lessen just the slightest bit.

Jesse was right. This _was_ helping. My heart still ached for my innocent baby, my little Alexander, but I could now start to heal. Having this grave, that I could actually see, was going to help me move on.

And he told me that I was welcome to come back and visit the spot any time that I wanted. I would be able to come and grieve whenever I needed to. Maybe I would be able to finally overcome this pain.

I was more in love with Jesse than I had ever been.


	18. Big Monster

**Jesse's POV**

**August**

"Catarina, what are you going to do when you see Brad?" Susannah asked my daughter, as we drove to her parents' house. She had an overly innocent look on her face, which I immediately distrusted. I knew her too well to fall for that look. It was the same look Catarina would give me when she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. I wondered what she had been telling my daughter this time. Susannah was wonderful for me and Catarina, but there were times when I felt she went a little too far in what she tried to get my young child to do. Then again, it was usually no worse than the things my sisters taught Catarina.

"I tell him he's a big monster," Catarina repeated immediately.

I frowned at my beautiful girlfriend. I should have known it would be something like that. She had a devious mind sometimes. And she could be quite childish, especially when it came to Brad. "Susannah, I love you with all of my heart, but I don't really appreciate you teaching Catarina to insult people."

She rolled her green eyes. "Oh, come on, Jesse. You've met Brad. He hardly counts as a _person_. He's a total jerk."

"That may be," I agreed reluctantly, "but I'm trying to teach her to be a polite young lady. Calling somebody a big monster is not a polite thing to do, no matter how irritating and rude that somebody can be."

She rolled her eyes again, grinning. "Whatever." She gave a loud and overly dramatic sigh. "Okay, Cat. Your daddy's being a giant spoilsport, so I guess you better not call Brad a monster."

Shaking my head, I parked the car. She really did not get along with her stepbrother Brad. I couldn't entirely blame her. Even when she tried to get along with him, he made it practically impossible. I could see that, and I'd only met him a few times. He gave their relationship no chance to become a positive one.

Susannah got out of the vehicle to get Catarina. She tickled my daughter, getting a loud laugh out of her, as she carried her to the front porch. "Soose? Will they like me?" Catarina asked worriedly, when she was able to stop laughing long enough to speak.

"They'll _love_ you, Kitty Cat," Susannah said, giving my daughter a soft kiss on her cheek. Just recently, she'd started calling Catarina Kitty Cat. My daughter loved the nickname, but she would only let Susannah call her that. She claimed that she was "Soose's Kitty Cat" and that only Soose could call her that. It made her feel special. "They've been so excited to meet you."

"Do they like Daddy?"

"They love him."

Susannah knocked on the door as she opened it, calling out, "We're here!"

Helen was at the door almost instantly, gesturing for us to come all the way inside. She smiled widely. She was an amazingly sweet woman. "Susie, Jesse. It's nice to see you again. And this must be little Catarina de Silva."

My daughter giggled as Helen tickled her under the chin. "That's me!" she said excitedly. "Are you Soose's mommy? You're really, really pretty, just like my Soose."

"Oh, you are just so adorable. Well, come on. Let's go introduce this little angel to the rest of the family. I bet they'll just love her."

Susannah and I followed her into the living room, where her family was sitting. Andy held a sleeping Chloe in his arms, while Jake and Heidi beside him looked half-asleep. It must have been a long night with their daughter. I've certainly had my fair share of those. Brad was listening to an iPod, loud enough that I could hear it across the room. And David was reading a textbook. Everyone looked up as we walked in. Brad reluctantly turned off the music player.

Catarina waved, a large smile lighting up her beautiful face. "Hi! I'm Catarina," she introduced. Then she gave a small shriek, hugging Susannah's neck tightly. Before I could panic, she exclaimed, "Soose! It's a big monster!" She pointed to Brad, who just scowled. Susannah tried her best not to laugh, but I could see that she was about to give in to the amusement. The rest of the family seemed to find it amusing as well, which would only serve to encourage Catarina in the future.

I sighed. "Susannah. Catarina."

They both giggled. "Sorry," they murmured together, in tones that were supposed to sound sheepish but came out amused.

"Somehow, I don't think you are."

Then Catarina gasped loudly. "That's the baby, huh?" she asked, looking up at Susannah, her eyes wide with excitement. She loved babies. "That's the baby you told me about. Isn't it, Soose?"

My beautiful _querida_ smiled. "She's actually a toddler. But yes, that's my niece. Chloe, say hi to Catarina."

Her young niece waved tiredly, having been woken up by my daughter's excited voice and shriek earlier.

"Daddy, can I play with her?"

I shook my head. "That's not up to me, _princesa_. You'll have to ask Jake and Heidi."

"Um…" She leaned into Susannah and whispered, "Which one is Jake? I forgot, even though you showed me a picture."

"I'm Jake," Susannah's oldest brother said, lifting his hand. My daughter's whispers could usually be heard by everyone in the same room. She hadn't learned how to master the art of whispering yet. Catarina wiggled until Susannah set her down. Then she ran to Jake.

"Can I please play with your baby? I'll be really careful, I promise. _Papa_ says that I'm good at being careful."

Heidi smiled. "Of course you can play with her."

Catarina rushed to little Chloe. She knelt down beside the toddler. "Hello, baby. I'm Catarina, but you can call me Cat. Okay? Okay, baby?"

"Cat," Chloe repeated, poking Catarina's nose. My daughter just laughed, and allowed her to do it again and again.

Susannah leaned against me, smiling. "Jesse, your daughter is pretty much the sweetest little thing on this planet."

"She has a very large heart," I agreed, watching my daughter carefully play with Chloe.


	19. Unbridled Passion

**Suze's POV**

**September**

I tapped my foot quietly as I started grading the last paper. Well, the last paper that I was going to grade before classes tomorrow. I was sick and tired of staring at these stupid assignments. Besides, Josefina and I were going shopping – and _not_ at a mall. I had finally found a friend who got sensory overload as much as I did. CeeCee understood how I felt, and rarely tried to get me to go into a mall, but Josefina actually _knew_ how I felt. It was amazing how alike we were.

A knock sounded on the door, startling me. Josie couldn't be done with her meeting already, could she? She said that the meetings with the principal always seemed to take forever. Especially when it was to discuss the misbehavior of one of her students. But when I looked up, it wasn't Josefina standing in my classroom doorway.

It was my way hot Latino boyfriend, Jesse.

I smiled. Damn, he looked sexy in those jeans. Then again, Jesse could even make _scrubs_ look sexy. He was that gorgeous. "Hey, handsome. What are you doing here? Did you just get off work?"

Nodding, he came into the room and sat on the edge of my desk. "I have to go pick up Catarina from my mother's house, but I wanted to come see you first."

"Catarina had her first day of preschool this morning, didn't she?" I asked, moving aside my papers. I was okay with being done with them. I stood so I could wrap my arms around his waist.

"Yes. And I want to thank you," he said, pressing a soft kiss to my lips.

"For what?"

He smiled, brushing a lock of hair out of my face. "That little pep talk you gave her last night after our date did wonders to soothe her nerves. And she loved using the backpack you got for her. I think you gave her just the confidence that she needed to get through the day. I'm grateful for that."

I shrugged, leaning forward to kiss him again. "It was nothing," I murmured against his mouth.

He pulled away, his dark brown eyes serious. "Susannah, it was not nothing. It meant a lot to both of us. Thank you."

I smiled deviously. "If you want to _really_ show your gratitude, you could kiss me again."

So he did.

It started off as a slow, innocent kiss, but it sure didn't stay that way. Soon, our tongues were fighting for dominance and our hands were exploring each other's bodies. Then Jesse's fingers grazed my bra.

This would normally be when he would pull away. See, Jesse and I wanted to take things slow. We didn't want to rush into something, only to have it not work out and crush poor Catarina's heart. As much as I lusted after my boyfriend – and believe me, there was a _lot_ of lust – I couldn't do that to my sweet little Kitty Cat. She meant so much to me now. But also, we wanted to make sure it was the right time for _us_, too.

And Jesse, well, he usually kept his head just a little bit clearer than I did in moments like this. He was more levelheaded than I was. I tended to forget that we'd made the decision together, and that that was what we both wanted. So he was almost always the one to pull away.

But not today. Oh no, he was definitely _not_ pulling away. He was pulling me as close as I could possibly get to his body. And let me tell you, I could get pretty close. Of course, I couldn't get quite close enough. There were clothes in the way. All this was extremely distracting, so even though I knew that I should stop this, I couldn't. I had no willpower left, not when Jesse kissed me so thoroughly. When he kissed me like this, I almost forgot how to breathe, let alone put a stop to the intense make-out session.

Instead, I reached for his belt and undid it. I threw that onto my desk. I didn't know what I was thinking, getting into this here. I guess I _wasn't_ thinking, and that was the problem.

"Oh, I don't think so," a familiar voice said, causing me to shriek and jump away from Jesse. I was breathing heavily, and not just because she'd scared me half to death. That had been the most passionate kiss I had _ever_ had. "We are in a _school_, Susannah. And Hector, what would Mother say?"

"Don't call me that," Jesse and I said together, both of us blushing. We glared at Josefina, who stood in the doorway, her hands on her hips.

She shook her head. "If you want to give in to your unbridled passion, go for it. I don't care. Just not here. Ew." She shuddered. Then she arched an eyebrow at her brother. "Do you want me to take Cat to mine and Derek's place for the night? That way, you and Suze can have your little _party_ in privacy?" She swayed her hips on the word party.

Jesse's blush deepened. "_Nombre_ – No, Josefina. Stop being absurd. *_Me vuelves loco algunos dias. Usted tiene una mente sucia, Josefina Maribel de Silva._"

I was lost. I had _no_ idea what he was saying, since he'd suddenly switched to Spanish. I _hated_ it when he did that. It always made me feel like he was talking about me behind my back.

Josefina laughed. "*_Yo? __Una mente sucia? Hector Jesse de Silva, creo que usted fue el punto de hacer un homerun, en el escritorio de un profesor en una escuela. No se me llama muchacho sucio, rizado._"

Jesse turned to me, ignoring this last comment by his sister. "I am sorry about that, _querida._ I should have had more control over myself. I - I better be going. I love you, and I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Eight o'clock?" He nodded. "It's a date, sexy."

Rolling his dark brown eyes, he left. But I know I saw a smile. "Um, Jesse?" I called, after him.

He poked his head back in. "Yes?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I held up his belt. Sighing, he took it from me and left again.

"You are one _naughty_ girl," Josefina commented.

**According to Google translate, the translations are as follows:**

***You drive me crazy some days. You have a filthy mind, Josefina Maribel de Silva.**

***Me? A filthy mind? Hector Jesse de Silva, I do believe you were the one about to make a homerun, on a teacher's desk in a school. Don't be calling me filthy, kinky boy.**

**I really hope that they are at least close to correct. I'm really sorry if they're not.**


	20. Decision

**Jesse's POV**

**November**

I was deep in thought as I made my daughter's breakfast. I was worried that I was rushing into things. It was exactly the reason we had waited until just recently to make love. What if I ruined everything? I loved Susannah with all of my heart, though. And she was so good for Catarina. She loved my daughter. I could see it in her eyes, in the way she played silly games with her and comforted her. Susannah loved Catarina more than she loved me.

No, that wasn't quite right. I think she understood that Catarina was more important than anything in my world. She loved us both equally, but she would always protect my daughter just as fiercely as I would, because she also felt that Catarina was the top priority. And that was exactly what I needed in a woman. I wanted to be loved, but I wanted my daughter to be loved and taken care of as well. I knew that I wasn't going to be able to help her through everything. I was a man. Even though I grew up with five sisters, there were things that I simply didn't understand. I wasn't going to be able to help her through the difficulty of her periods, or when she started liking boys. I wasn't going to be able to understand all of that.

Susannah could be there for her. Not only that, but I could see that she _wanted_ to be there for my little girl. She truly wanted to be able to help Catarina with everything that would come her way. I wondered if I could ask for a better woman for my daughter. Susannah was everything that I'd ever wanted and needed. She was perfect for us.

"Daddy, you're burning my waffle!"

My daughter's voice snapped me out of my inner thoughts. "Oh." I rushed to take the waffle out of the machine. It was a little crispy. "I'm sorry, _princesa_. Do you want me to make you another one?"

She gave me a funny look. "No, it's okay. It's only a little burnt. I'll eat it."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, so I dished up a plate for her, glad that I hadn't destroyed the eggs as well. As she took a bite of her bacon, she asked, "What were you thinking about, _Papa_?" She could be quite observant some days.

I sighed, hesitating. Then I asked, "What do you think of Susannah?" Perhaps it was a silly idea, but maybe my five-year-old daughter could give me a little insight on what I should do. After all, this would involve her just as much as it involved me. It was her life as well.

Her eyes immediately lit up. "I _love_ Soose, Daddy. She's so much fun. And she loves me, too, I just know it. She plays with me, and she reads me lots of stories. And one time, she even fixed up an ouchie I got on my foot."

"I remember. I was there." I smiled at the memory. Susannah and I had been playing with Catarina at the park near our apartment complex. She had stepped on a thorn, even though I'd warned her not to run around without her shoes on. Susannah had carried her home and insisted on bandaging her up. She was very sweet and gentle about it. "Is there anything about Susannah that you _don't_ like?"

"Um…" she trailed off, thinking hard. She tapped her chin. "Sometimes, she puts me in the time-out like you do. But only if I'm bad."

Yes, Susannah was fairly consistent with that. She didn't let Catarina get away with the things that _I_ wouldn't let Catarina get away with. Most of the time, anyway.

My door opened, and Carmen walked into my kitchen. Catarina smiled and waved at her. "Hi, Auntie Carmen. I can't hug you right now because I have to eat my breakfast."

Smiling, Carmen kissed the top of her little head. "That's all right, *_angelita_. I came by to give your father some things from Grandmama." She looked up at me, a smirk suddenly pulling at her lips. "Ooh, I would know that look anywhere. Did you buy it already? I want to see it, Jesse. I have to see if you actually did a good job picking it out. You could have done better last time."

I sighed. Carmen wasn't exactly making my decision any easier. She was a little overenthusiastic. "I haven't actually decided if I'm going to –"

She flapped a hand at me, cutting me off. "Oh, please. We've been through this all before, remember? And you've got that same look in your eyes. Only intensified. You've decided, even if you don't think that you have."

"Carmen –"

She squealed, clapping her hands. "Oh, this is *_tan emocionante_. Jesse, you have to let me help you pick it out."

"Carmen –"

"We should go right now. Oh, wait. We'll have to drop Catarina off at school first. That's all right. _*Luego podemos ir de compras. Conozco el lugar perfecto. Tienen anillos tan hermosas. Sus diamantes son simplemente exquisito._"

"Carmen Amora de Silva," I interrupted, before she could continue. She looked at me, a little surprised that I had called her by her full name. I very rarely got upset with Carmen. "I haven't decided if I'm going to ask her."

She smiled at me. "Do you love her, Jesse?" she asked simply.

"Yes, abso–"

"Does she love you?"

"Yes, she –"

"Does she love Catarina?"

"More than anything in the world."

Carmen's smile widened. "Then don't be an _idiota_."

I sighed, running my hands through my hair. I knew she was right, that I _had_ already decided. I was going to ask her. "All right. I'll let you come with me. But we'll wait until Catarina is done with school today. She loves Susannah as much as I do, so I want her to help us pick it out. It will mean more to Susannah if she does."

**Translations:**

***Little angel**

***So exciting**

***Then we can go shopping. I know just the perfect place. They have so many beautiful rings. Their diamonds are just exquisite.**

**So, if you didn't figure it out before this, I think it would be pretty obvious that they're going to go shopping for an engagement ring. Oh, the last Spanish word, **_**idiota**_**, I think is pretty obvious what that one means. Even **_**angelita**_** is somewhat obvious.**


	21. Acting Strange

**Suze's POV**

**December**

"Soose? Can I watch my movie here? Please?" Catarina asked with her eyes about as wide as they would go, almost as soon as we walked into my parents' home. I nodded, setting her down. She had gotten a new movie today, and she hadn't had a chance to watch it yet. She'd been wanting to watch it since I got it for her.

"I'm sure my mom will let you. You'll just have to ask her."

My mother entered the room just then, looking quizzically at the little girl with me. "Hi, Susie. I didn't expect to see you here, with Catarina."

"I'm watching Catarina for Jesse today," I explained. "He got called in to an emergency at the hospital just as his shift was ending, and I was the only one available to pick her up from her friend's house. I told him I would watch her for him, so he could do what he needed at work. I thought we'd come and say hi."

Catarina waved enthusiastically at my mom. "Hi, Helen! Is it okay if I watch my movie on your TV?" She held up the DVD case. "See? I brought my own movie. I just got it today! Can I watch it, please?"

My mother smiled. "Of course you can, sweetie. I'll start it for you if you go sit on the couch."

Once the movie was started, my mom motioned for me to go into the kitchen with her. "Things seem to be getting pretty serious between you and Jesse," she observed.

I shrugged. "Yeah. I love him a lot. But I also love Catarina. I never thought that I would fall in love with a man and his young daughter, but that's exactly what happened." I couldn't even believe how much I loved the two of them. I hadn't even known that it was possible to love two people that much.

She smiled. "You're quite happy with them, though. And Catarina seems to love you."

A smile pulled at my lips as I peeked into the den, where Catarina was watching her movie. "I think she does. She hasn't said it, but she acts like it."

"So how has everything been? Are your classes going well? Your students are treating you all right?"

I laughed. "They are, especially since I haven't actually seen them for a few days. Their Christmas break started this week. But even when they are in class, they've been pretty good. They've learned that I'm not going to put up with any crap from them. Life's been great, even though Jesse's been acting a little strange lately."

"How so?"

"I don't know, exactly. He's just been…on edge lately, I guess. I don't know what's going on with him. I even tried getting the answer out of Josie, because I thought she might know and she's not the best at keeping secrets. I thought I could pump her for information. I got nowhere, though. She either doesn't know, or she's extremely determined at keeping this secret." I was betting that she didn't know. It didn't seem to matter how determined Josie was, she would almost always tell if you asked the right questions. Well, except for the secret about Jesse and one of his sisters being mediators. That was the only secret, as far as I could tell, that she had ever been able to keep.

"Huh. That's interesting."

I narrowed my eyes at her. She wouldn't look at me, and she was trying to find something to do with her hands. A sure sign that she knew something that I didn't. Why would my mother know what was going on with my boyfriend? It didn't make any sense at all. "Mom," I said slowly.

"Yes, Susie?"

"You're using that tone."

"What tone?" she asked, without any inflection. She knew exactly what I was talking about. I knew she did.

"Your I-know-something-but-I-can't-tell-you-and-so-my-lips-are-sealed tone. And you have the matching expression on your face. You know something."

She shook her head. "I don't know anything."

I didn't believe her, not for a second. My mom was a wonderful journalist, and anybody else probably would have been fooled by her tone and expression, but I'd known her all of my life. I had learned to recognize them for what they were - masks to what was really going on. But before I could say anything – or maybe try to get some information out of her despite the fact that I knew I would never be able to – Jake and Heidi arrived, with Chloe running ahead of them.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Suze," my brother – yes, I thought of him as my brother – greeted. Heidi gave me a quick hug, smiling.

And Chloe held out her arms for me. "Aunt Sue," she said. That was all of my name that she could manage to say.

I took her into my arms, kissing her cheek. "Hi, Chloe."

"Soose!" Catarina exclaimed, rushing to me. She must have heard all the commotion and decided that she didn't want to miss out on the fun. "Does baby Chloe want to watch my movie with me?"

I looked at my niece. "Do you want to?"

She nodded, sticking her thumb in her mouth. I set her on the ground. She and Catarina hurried into the den, holding hands. Only a moment later, Catarina was back, hugging my legs. She motioned for me to come close, so I bent toward her.

"I love you, Soose," she said quietly, standing on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.

Then she ran off to finish her movie.

I did _not_ cry. I really didn't. I just got dust in my eyes, I swear.


	22. Nervous

**Jesse's POV**

**December**

I sat nervously at the kitchen counter, staring at the open ring box in my hand. I wasn't normally very knowledgeable about diamond cuts and styles, but I knew this one by heart. A princess-cut diamond was in the center, hugged by another smaller princess-cut diamond on each side. More princess-cut diamonds were set into the band, all the way around. I had memorized everything about it, hoping that she would like it. I knew she could be very vain about jewelry sometimes, as well as her clothes. I was grateful that I'd allowed Carmen to come with us. She had a style very similar to Susannah's. She had assured me that Susannah would love it. And Catarina also was convinced that Susannah would fall in love with the ring as soon as she saw it. I hoped they were right.

I heard footsteps approaching me, so I quickly closed the box and put it in my pocket. Only a few moments later, Susannah's arms wrapped lightly around my neck. She kissed my cheek. "We're just about to exchange gifts," she told me. "Are you coming?"

I took a deep breath. "In just a moment."

She laughed suddenly, shaking her head. "You know, when you said your parents went all out for holidays, I didn't expect all of _this_. I mean, Adam and CeeCee are here, plus my entire family. Even Gina's here!"

"That was a stroke of luck, _querida_." I knew that she would love to share this moment with all of her best friends. I was glad that Gina had been able to make it. It really was a stroke of luck. Her brother had had to leave for a business trip at the last minute, so her plan to visit him had fallen through. She was more than happy to visit her best friend in California for Christmas.

"I know. She was originally planning to visit her brother for Christmas, but something came up. Still, it's pretty amazing that your parents have put together this huge party."

"They do love large family get-togethers. And the more families they can involve, the better."

"Daddy!" Catarina called, running into the room. She glanced at Susannah before saying, in a loud whisper, _"*¿Dónde está, papá? ¿Es hora de darle a ella?"_ She was extremely excited for this proposal. I think she had already begun to think of Susannah as her mother.

"*_Un momento_."

My girlfriend frowned, narrowing her eyes at us. She truly did not like it when we started having conversations in Spanish around her. She had always taken French in high school, and hardly knew any Spanish at all. "Are you talking about me, Kitty Cat?"

Catarina giggled. "No. Bye, Soose! I have to tell Daddy a secret," my daughter said, pushing Susannah toward the other room.

Susannah chuckled, shaking her head. "All right, you silly girl. I'm going. Don't get your shirt in a twist."

She left. Catarina turned to me. "Can I give it to her, Daddy? Please?" she begged, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Yes." I pulled the box from my pocket, handing it to her. "Be very careful not to lose it. Susannah would be very sad if that happened."

"I promise," she said, tucking the box into her own pocket. "Let's go, _Papa_! Come on!" She pulled me into the living room, where everyone was waiting.

I sat beside Susannah on the floor, lacing my fingers through hers. Catarina sat in my lap, smiling widely.

As the gifts were exchanged, I felt myself grow more and more nervous. I was worried that she would say no, though I sincerely hoped not. Susannah shot me a frown once it seemed like all the gifts had been given and opened. She knew that Catarina and I would not have forgotten about her.

Just as she was about to say something, Catarina bounced in my lap. "Soose! Daddy and I have a very _special_ present for you. We picked it out together." She handed the box to Susannah.

Susannah gasped as she opened it. She looked up at me. "Jesse, is this what I think it is?"

I smiled at her. I switched to Spanish, even though I knew she wouldn't be able to understand most of it and would probably get mad at me. It would help with _my_ nerves, though. "*_Susannah Simon, te has convertido en el amor de mi vida. __Eres una persona maravillosa. Te amo y me respetan, sino que también han llegado a cuidar a mi hija. He visto lo bueno que eres con ella. Eres tan bueno y por tanto de nosotros. ¿Me harías el gran honor de ser mi esposa?_"

Her eyes began to water. "I have no idea what you just said, but I'm pretty sure you're proposing to me. So yes. I'll marry you."

I hugged her, careful not to crush Catarina between us. My daughter smiled at my new fiancée. "*_Soose, ¿vas a ser mi nueva mama? Papa dice que va a ser, si asi to desea. ¿Quieres? ¿Te vas a casar con mi papa?_"

"I don't – sorry, Kitty Cat. I didn't understand."

"She tends to slip into Spanish when she gets extremely excited," I explained. Then I translated.

Susannah smiled at my daughter. "Yes. I'll be your new mommy."

"*_Usted será la mejor mama nunca. __Te quiero_."

"I have got to learn Spanish."

Smiling, I added, "*_Usted acaba de hacer el hombre más feliz vivo. Te quiero mucho, Susannah. Estoy deseando pasar el resto de mi vida contigo._" I pressed my lips to hers.

Someone hit my arm, interrupting my kiss. "_*Hector, ¿por qué no me dijiste que ibas a proponer a ella? ¿Todos menos yo se acerca de esto?_" Josefina demanded.

"_*Yo no te lo dije ya que tienden a revelar secretos. Era mejor que no lo sabía. Se lo determinado Susannah puede ser. Ella habría obtenido la información de usted. No se puede negar eso._"

"_*No, no puedo,_" she huffed. "_Yo todavía no creo sea muy justo. ¿Cómo llegaste Catarina guardar silencio al respecto?_"

"_*Soborno. Yo lo prometí que iba a conseguir un gatito._"

My family laughed, causing Susannah's eyes to narrow even further. Josefina widened her own eyes. "_*Se soborno a su hija? Jesse, Susannah se froto apagado en usted. Ese suena como algo que ella o yo iba a hacer, sino a ti?_"

I felt myeslf blush. "_*No podía pensar en otra cosa para evitar que ella decía Susannah. Estaba muy emocionado cuando supo que quería casarse con Susannah. Y ella ha estado pidiendo un gatito por un tiempo. __Era la única manera._"

Susannah looked at my mother, exasperation stamped across her face. "Isabel, is there any way that you can teach me this language? I'm tired of them slipping into it around me. And I think Josefina's called me a few dirty words before."

"Josefina Maribel!" Mother exclaimed.

"_Mama_, I – Thanks, Suze. Thanks a lot."

***Where is it, Daddy? Is it time to give it to her yet?**

***One moment.**

***Susannah Simon, you have become the love of my life. You are such a wonderful person. You love and respect me, but you also have come to care for my daughter. I've seen how good you are to her. You are so good to and for both of us. Would you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?**

***Soose, are you going to be my new mommy? Daddy says that you will be, if you want to. Do you want to? Are you going to marry my daddy?**

***You'll be the best mommy ever. I love you.**

***You have just made me the happiest man alive. I love you so much, Susannah. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with you.**

***Hector, why didn't you tell me that you were going to propose to her? Did everybody except me know about this?**

***I didn't tell you because you tend to reveal secrets. It was better that you didn't know. I know how determined Susannah can be. She would have gotten the information out of you. You can't deny that.**

***No, I can't. I still don't think it's very fair. How did you get Catarina to keep quiet about it?**

***Bribery. I promised her that I would get her a kitten.**

***You bribed your daughter? Jesse, Susannah is rubbing off on you. That sounds like something she or I would do, but you?**

***I couldn't think of anything else to keep her from telling Susannah. She was very excited when she found out that I wanted to marry Susannah. And she's been asking for a kitten for a while. It was the only way.**


	23. The One

**I am so sorry that it's taken me so long to update. Things have just been crazy lately. Between work and starting a new term at college...I haven't had much extra time to put anything up. I'll warn you that from here on out, I don't know how often I'll be able to put up more chapters. I don't even know how long I'll make this story. If I wanted to, I could probably keep it going for a looooooong time. Anyway, please review. I like to know what people think. **

**Suze's POV**

**February**

I held Catarina in my arms as we entered the bridal shop. She hugged me tightly, a huge smile on her small face. Her eyes sparkled happily. She was almost more excited than I was about this wedding. Almost.

The consultant I'd made an appointment with, Hope, greeted us at the door. "You must be the Simon party. Which one of you lovely young ladies is my bride, Susannah?"

"That's me," I said, raising my hand just a bit. Then I started the introductions, gesturing at each person as I introduced them. "This is my mom, Helen Ackerman. One of my best friends, CeeCee Webb. My Maid of Honor and future sister-in-law, Josefina Collins. And this little cutie is my fiancé's daughter, Catarina de Silva."

"She's going to be my new mommy," Catarina said proudly, which warmed my heart. I loved this little girl so much, it was ridiculous.

Hope smiled. "Oh, she is just too adorable. Are you ready to start trying on gowns?" she asked me.

"Absolutely."

She took us to a large space with a mirror and a pedestal. Off to the side was a door that I assumed led to the dressing room. We discussed the budget, the wedding's location, the colors – pale pink and lilac –, and what I wanted in a dress. Then Hope left to find a few choices for me to try on. I held Catarina on my lap, and I couldn't seem to stop smiling.

Catarina looked up at me as we waited. She had her own smile on her face. "You're going to look so pretty, Mommy Soose. You always look pretty."

"Thank you, sweetie. Let's hope your daddy feels the same way."

"Daddy says you're the most beautiful woman he ever saw." She nodded, as if that was the most basic fact of life.

My mom cooed. I swear, her eyes started to water a bit. "Oh, that's so sweet of him. He's such a wonderful man for you, Susie." She's a hopeless romantic, seriously.

Josefina just rolled her eyes, muttering about her brother being a giant sap.

CeeCee was grinning. "At least he appreciates her beauty, unlike another jerk we could mention."

I gave her a warning look. She rolled her eyes. "Oh, calm down, Suze. I wasn't going to say The Jerk's name. Sheesh. What do you take me for? An idiot?"

Before I could argue, Hope came back, her arms loaded with white gowns. "Wow," was all I could say. I was a little stunned. I mean, sure, I'd tried on a few gowns here and there since Jesse had proposed to me, but this was my first trip into such a large store. And my first appointment with an actual consultant. It was a totally different experience, let me tell you.

I tried on about twenty dresses before I finally found the one. I knew it was perfect as soon as I put it on. It was beautiful. It was floor-length, with a beaded, sleeveless bodice. The skirt, from the waist down, was a soft chiffon. It hugged my curves, but not in a slutty way. It fit almost perfectly. Of course, there would have to be a few adjustments made, but not very many.

I ran my hands down the front of the dress as Hope clipped the back. I was in awe. "It's beautiful," I murmured.

She smiled at me. "It does look very good on you. Would you like to show your family and friends?"

"Yes," I breathed. I knew they would all love it.

We walked out of the room. I stepped onto the pedestal, waiting for their reactions.

"That's it," CeeCee said.

Catarina jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "I like it! It's so pretty on you!"

Josefina smiled warmly at me. "*_Mi hermano es un hombre muy afortunado._"

"I only understood about two words of that," I told her. "I hate it when you do that. Don't start talking to me in Spanish until I learn it!"

She rolled her eyes. "That will take forever," she mumbled.

I was tempted to smack her, but then my mother got up and hugged me tightly. I swear I could see tears in her eyes. More tears. About to roll down her cheeks. I really didn't want a crying fest getting started. Because I hate crying. And I knew that if my mom started crying, so would I. "Oh, Susie. You look so gorgeous."

Hope smiled. "She does. Is this the dress?"

"Definitely," I replied. "Do we have time to look at bridesmaids dresses, too?"

"Sure."

And so about five hours later, we had the bridesmaids dresses picked out. They were just a simple, pale pink chiffon sheath dress. But CeeCee and Josefina looked amazing in that gown. I knew Gina would, too. The pink would actually look very good on her. We also found a really cute A line dress for Catarina. It was white, with a light pink sash around the waist, and a tulle skirt that hit her at the knees. We even found a dress for my mom to wear. Hers was also a sheath dress, in a lilac color. It had a bit of white lace around the waist, looking a bit like a belt. She looked great in it.

I was going to ship Gina's to her in New York, since she couldn't actually be here before the wedding. She would get any size adjustments made to it that it might need.

It was amazing. I'd been with Paul – engaged, anyway – for three entire years. I had never done more than set aside money for a gown. I hadn't even _looked_ in a store. And now, I'd only been engaged to Jesse for a couple of months and I'd already found the gowns I needed. For everybody. Jesse and I had already set a date, one that really wasn't that far away. I almost felt things were progressing too fast.

Almost.

It all felt so _right_ with Jesse.

And that's when it hit me. That's when I realized the real reason I'd never pushed Paul to make any wedding plans. It had felt _wrong_, on some level. I knew, if only subconsciously, that it wasn't the right thing for me. Marrying Paul, I mean.

Marrying Jesse was the right thing.

***My brother is a very lucky man.**


	24. Perfect

**Jesse's POV**

**March**

I stared at the beautiful woman laying beside me. She had moved in with us two weeks earlier, as soon as her lease was up, but I was still amazed every time I woke up next to her. It felt natural to be with her. It felt natural to have a home with her, where we could raise Catarina together. I didn't even mind the fact that she slept with her limbs spread about as wide as she could get them.

Her very interesting conversations, as she slept soundly, more than made up for it.

I swept some of her hair away from her face, stroking her cheek lightly. She stirred, but didn't wake. "I don't want to rewrite the Constitution, George," she mumbled in her sleep. "I'm done with school. No more essays for me." I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. I wasn't sure if she'd actually had the opportunity to meet the ghost of George Washington, or if her imagination was just getting ahead of itself again. I was leaning towards the latter.

Feet pattered across the floor and, before I could stop her, Catarina jumped onto the bed between Susannah and myself.

Susannah sat up slowly, yawning.

Catarina bounced excitedly, holding a chain of paper links that her aunt had helped her make only a few weeks before. "Daddy, Mommy Soose. Guess what? *_Me desperté esta mañana y le arranco otro enlace. Y adivinen que numero es el ahora. Es el número siete. Eso es de una semana, no lo es, papa_?"

I chuckled. "Yes, it's a week, _princesa_." I couldn't remember a time that I had seen my daughter so happy. Her smile made me happy. And I was glad that Catarina loved Susannah as much as I did. I knew we would all be happy _together_. As a family.

"That means I'll get a new mommy in one week! Yay! *_Estoy tan feliz. Siempre quise tener una nueva mama, ya que la mía ha muerto, y ahora tengo uno_."

I winced slightly. Catarina had never been resentful about the death of her mother, as far as I could tell, but she really did not know much about Maria. It was always a difficult subject for me to discuss with my daughter. I would always remember my late wife's betrayal. And Catarina had, surprisingly, never been too curious about her birth mother. At times, I was extremely grateful for this, as I didn't have to broach that painful subject. But I also felt guilty that I didn't share much about Maria. She was, after all, Catarina's mother. I had never even taken Catarina to Maria's grave, save at the funeral itself. My daughter didn't remember that. She was barely older than a year at the time.

Susannah laughed. "I'm starting to understand more Spanish, but I still only caught about half of that, sweetie. I take it you're happy?"

Catarina nodded, a smile lighting up her beautiful face. "Very, very happy."

My fiancée pulled her into a loving embrace. She kissed the top of Catarina's small head. "Well, I can't wait to marry your daddy," she said, sending me a wink.

"Yay!" Catarina threw her arms around Susannah's neck, beaming happily. "I love you, Mommy Soose."

"Aw, sweetie. I love you, too."

I smiled. This moment was perfect. Nothing could ruin it.

Of course, as soon as I thought that, my sister barged into the bedroom. I hadn't heard the front door open, but I could assume she'd used the spare key from behind the fire extinguisher in the hall to let herself in. I regretted ever telling her about that.

Josefina placed her hands on her hips, looking down at us in disgust. "Really? It's ten in the morning, and you're all still in bed? What is wrong with you?"

Catarina waved. "Hi, Auntie Josie. Do you want to see my new kitty? I got him last week. His name is Chili."

Josefina arched an eyebrow. "Chili?" she repeated.

My daughter nodded. "Uh-huh." She giggled. "Because when we brought him home, he played inside a can that used to have chili in it, before Daddy washed it. He was going to recycle it. But it fell on the floor, and my kitty ran inside it. So I named him Chili."

"And you just barely got him? I thought your dad promised that kitten about four months ago."

Catarina gave her aunt a funny look. "Auntie Josie! I had to find the perfect kitten!"

"Ah, I see."

"Do you want to play with him? He doesn't bite very hard, I promise."

Smiling, Josefina pinched Catarina's nose. "I'll have to do it another time, Cat. Suze and I have an appointment."

"We do?" Susannah asked, confused.

My sister nodded. "At the spa, remember? Your pre-wedding de-stresser? Come on, get up."

Susannah sighed, rolling her eyes. "I really don't feel all that stressed out, Josie. Everything's gone pretty well so far. I don't need a de-stresser. I thought I told you not to schedule that?"

Josefina snorted. "And you thought I actually listened to you? Funny. Get up. We're going." She practically yanked my fiancée out of the bed, ignoring Susannah's groan of protest.

"*_La próxima vez, Josefina_," I said, "_llamar a la puerta antes de entrar_."

She grinned wickedly. "*_Eso no es divertido, Jesse_."

***I woke up this morning and tore off another link. And guess what number it's on now. It's on number seven. That's a week, isn't it, Daddy?**

***I'm so happy. I always wanted a new mommy, since mine is dead, and now I get one.**

***Next time, Josefina, knock before entering.**

***That's no fun, Jesse.**


	25. It's Time

**Suze's POV**

**March**

I checked my hair again - for the fifth time in the last hour. The blowout I'd gotten was still perfect. But I couldn't stop shaking. I didn't even know why I was so nervous. It was ridiculous.

"Susie, stop that. Your hair is beautiful."

I smiled at my mother. She was carefully straightening all of the bouquets, not even looking at me. She knew me pretty well. "I'm sorry. I can't help it. I'm just…really nervous. I feel like everything is happening so fast. Almost too fast. Well, it's more like I feel like I _should_ be feeling that it's all going too fast. I mean, I dated Paul for seven years before we finally got engaged. Jesse and I only dated for six months. I was engaged to stupid Paul for _three years_. Only three months to Jesse."

She smiled, kissing my forehead. "Every couple is going to be different. The timing is right for you and Jesse. He's so perfect for you. It would just be a waste of time for you two to wait too long to get married."

I smiled in return. "He is perfect for me. He's the most amazing man I've ever met. I've never loved anyone as much as I love him and his daughter. It's crazy."

"Speaking of that little cutie, where is she? I thought she was supposed to be in here with you?"

"She was. She's probably excitedly yapping at her father. I sent her to inform him on my behalf that he can't use his daughter as a spy so he can try to see me before the ceremony."

"Did he really try that?"

I shrugged. "Well, kind of. He told her to try to get a picture of me in my dress. He wanted to see it before the ceremony. He usually doesn't try to be sneaky like that, but I have been dropping enough hints to make him extremely curious, I guess."

She laughed, shaking her head, and mumbled something about "typical Suze," which I didn't really think was all that fair. I talk about clothes a lot. Jesse usually just tuned me out. I had sort of figured that he would do the same when I mentioned my dress. But apparently not.

Before I knew it, my entire bridal party was in the room, ready to go. Catarina was trembling with excitement, to the point that she was on the verge of spilling her basket of lilac and rose petals. She was the first one to walk down the aisle. She tossed small handfuls of the flower petals onto the ground, smiling widely. Then she stopped beside her father. He smiled down at her before looking back toward the doors where I was hiding behind. Peeking through, of course, so I could see what was happening.

Then it was CeeCee and Adam next. They weaved their arms together and started walking. My heart began racing.

Gina and Raymond - a very close work friend of Jesse's - made their way down the aisle, their arms linked.

Josefina and Benedict were the last of the bridesmaids and groomsmen to go.

Then it was time.

Andy looped his arm through mine, and we headed down the aisle. My heart was beating so fast, I was sure it was going to explode. I had only eyes for Jesse. And Catarina, who was hugging her father's legs. She beamed when Jesse and I clasped hands, turning our heads to look at the priest.

Our vows were the normal, Roman Catholic ones. I'd never really been a religious person, despite the fact that I graduated from a Catholic High School. But Jesse was a devout Catholic – something I detested come Sunday mornings, when he practically dragged me out of bed and forced me to attend Mass – so this was more for his sake, really. I would have been happy with Brazilian voodoo, to be honest.

It _almost_ went smoothly.

When the priest asked if there were any objections, a man did stand up and object.

Paul Slater.

I didn't know how he'd found out about the wedding at all. I mean, sure, I'd invited Jack because I genuinely liked the kid. But Jack wasn't even talking to his brother at the moment. He'd gotten emancipated at the age of seventeen, from his parents, and moved out on his own. He had refused to go to the last family vacation at the Pebble Beach Resort. There was no way Jack would have told Paul about the wedding.

Before I could panic or yell at him or do _anything_, Brad stood up and hauled Paul outside, telling the priest to carry on so he could "see what was going on." I exchanged a confused glance with Jesse. I was stunned, as everyone else in the room seemed to be. About five minutes later, Brad came back, flexing his fingers. Had he…beat Paul up? For me? What was the world coming to? "He had a little…change of heart," Brad said, sitting back down. "No objections."

So the wedding went on.

The rest of the ceremony went without a hitch. I decided that, as soon as I possibly could, I would see if I could get a restraining order against Paul Slater. I was tired of him just showing up in my new life. I wanted to be rid of him.

But I put that from my mind as I enjoyed my wedding reception. Jesse was nice about feeding me my cake. He only dabbed a small dot of frosting onto my nose. I can't say the same for myself, unfortunately. I smeared the frosting all over his face, which made Catarina giggle.

We shared our first dance with Catarina, just the three of us. I knew this was the right thing for me, marrying this man. Jesse, Catarina, and I made the perfect family.


	26. Heartbreak

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in a while! I've been working a lot lately, and when I'm not working, I'm either in class or doing homework (ugh, college sucks). Anyway, I'll try to be better about updating this story, but I seriously can't make any promises. Again, I'm sorry! I wish I wasn't so busy all the time. It's crappy. Please enjoy. And thank you for being dedicated to this story. I'm glad you're willing to keep reading it, even if I have been horrible about keeping up with writing it. :/**

**Jesse's POV**

**May**

I watched Susannah carry my darling Catarina up the small path. She was laughing with my daughter, as the two of them exchanged jokes, but I could see the tension in her shoulders. It was always so hard on her, visiting him. And I knew today would be even more difficult than it usually was when she came here. Catarina had never come with Susannah before. Naturally, she would be curious and ask questions. I wasn't sure how Susannah would feel about talking about her miscarriage to a young girl.

But my wife was a strong woman. She was one of the strongest women I had ever known. I had faith that she would handle it, even if it was hard on her. She had assured me that she wanted Catarina to come with her today, since my daughter was so insistent on going wherever Susannah was going this morning. She had been quite clingy with her stepmother today. I wondered if she had been able to sense the sadness in my wife, to some extent. Catarina was a very perceptive child.

As we neared the peaceful clearing, Susannah grew somber. She stopped laughing and telling jokes. She stopped talking altogether.

She set a very confused Catarina on the ground and knelt at Alexander's grave. She gulped, blinking fast as she wrapped her arms tightly around her torso. I knew she was trying not to cry, and that she needed just a few minutes on her own. I would hug her when she needed the comfort, but for now, she needed me to stay back. So that's what I would do.

Catarina ran to me, glancing at her stepmother. She had a frown on her small face. "Daddy," she whispered, sensing the slight tension in the air, "why is Mommy Soose so sad?"

I lifted her into my arms, kissing her cheek. "Some time ago, before she moved back to California, she lost a little baby boy," I explained in a soft voice. If Susannah heard me, she gave no indication of it. "He died while he was still in her tummy, before he could be born. We buried some of his things here, so Susannah could come and grieve properly. But it was very hard on your Mommy Susannah. It still makes her sad sometimes to think of him."

"Oh." She was quiet for a little while, watching Susannah.

Susannah reached out and lightly stroked the marker we had placed there, together, in memory of her unborn son. The tears were flowing steadily and silently down her cheeks.

Then Catarina asked in a very quiet voice, "Does my first mommy have a grave?"

I sighed in defeat. I should have known this would be one of her questions. "Yes, _princesa_. She's buried in San Francisco. She has a grave there."

"How come we never go see it? Is it because it's far away?"

How could I explain it to her? It was very complicated, and I didn't want my daughter to know about her mother's unfaithfulness at such a young age. I didn't know if I ever wanted her to know about that. What was the point? "I don't really know, Catarina," I whispered, more to myself than to her. Then I gave her a sad smile. "Would you like to? It is a little far away, but not so far that we couldn't go if you wanted to."

She just shrugged. I would take her, no matter how I felt, if that was what she wanted. I didn't want to push the memory of Maria completely out of her life. That wasn't right, and now I realized that that's exactly what I had been trying to do. "I don't know. I'll have to think about it, Daddy. Maybe. Will Mommy Soose feel better if I give her a big hug and kiss?"

"Why don't you try it?" I asked, putting her down. "I'm sure it will help her feel better. She loves your hugs and kisses." She ran toward Susannah, hugging her tightly. She kissed her cheek.

In response, Susannah pulled Catarina even closer and started sobbing softly. She was healing, but I knew it would be a long process for her. And there are some pains that can never fully heal, no matter how much time they are given. I looked to the sky as the epiphany hit me. I _hadn't_ fully moved on from Maria, I realized. I still harbored resentment toward her, despite the extremely long and heartfelt discussion we'd had after her funeral. I was hurt that she had chosen to betray _me_ in that way, but I knew that most of my anger was on Catarina's behalf. I didn't understand how Maria could have done something that had the potential to destroy Catarina. I didn't understand how she could betray her own daughter in that way. And I resented that. Quite a bit, if I was to be completely honest.

That was the real reason I had avoided visited the cemetery where Maria was buried all this time. And it wasn't fair to Catarina that I do that. I shouldn't have been trying to push the memory of her birth mother out of her life. I needed to take my daughter to visit her mother's grave, despite my personal feelings about my late wife. I couldn't change the past. But I also knew that I shouldn't alienate my daughter from the woman who had given birth to her.

I knew that I was helping Susannah heal from her heartbreak. I smiled when I came to the conclusion that she was helping me heal mine. She had helped me discover that I even had heartbreak to heal from. And I doubted that she even realized what she had done for me. I was so glad that she had come into my life, into both of our lives. Susannah was good for Catarina and me. She always would be.


	27. Swimming Lesson

**So...here's another chapter. I'm giving you two tonight since I've been so lax lately! And, um, I'll try to write some more soon. I hope it won't take me forever.**

**Suze's POV**

**June**

I taught Catarina how to do the butterfly stroke. At least, that's what I was trying to do. Catarina was having way too much fun splashing one of her neighbor friends to really hear what I was telling her. She was completely tuning me out. I don't even know if she could hear my voice at all over all the giggling and splashing she was doing.

Jesse had been wanting to teach her how to swim for a while. He found out pretty quick that he wasn't a good swim teacher. At all. While he was good in most crisis situations, he was not good at seeing his daughter struggle in the water. He kind of freaked out if he even thought she had the possibility of drowning. So I decided to take over the job of teaching Catarina. I had actually taught Paul's younger brother how to swim, since the jerkwad couldn't act like a proper sibling and do it himself.

My stepdaughter and I waited to start her lessons until after our little trip to San Francisco, to visit Maria's grave. Jesse and I felt like that should be the focus while we in San Francisco, and the emotions were kind of high at the time, so we didn't want to add the stress of learning something new on top of all of that.

But she was a natural swimmer, she really was. And she loved to splash.

Out of nowhere, water hit my face. I turned to look at Catarina, narrowing my eyes slightly. She was trying to pretend nothing had happened by whistling, which was a skill that she still hadn't quite mastered, but I could see her shoulders quivering with laughter.

I smirked, and splashed her right back. Hey, two could play at that game. She shrieked and exclaimed, "Mommy!" Recently, she had stopped calling me Mommy Soose. It had taken me forever to think of Jake, Brad, and David as my brothers, but I'd started thinking of Catarina as my daughter before I'd even married Jesse. Evidently, she felt the same way about me now.

"Catarina," I said, echoing her tone. I batted my eyelashes innocently. "I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did. You splashed me!" She held herself to the edge of the pool, at the shallow end, with one hand and placed her other hand on her hip in a fist. Her eyes were narrowed. I struggled not to laugh. She was so dang _cute_ when she tried to be mad.

I gave her a mock offended look. "I am hurt that you would accuse me of such a thing, Kitty Cat. Really."

She giggled, splashing me again. "You splashed me, Mommy. Don't be silly."

"Okay, okay. You got me." I swam toward her, scooping her into my arms. I pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Should we get back to teaching you the butterfly stroke?"

She nodded. "I love you, Mommy."

I smiled. "I love you, too."

We went back to her butterfly stroke. We kept at it, for almost an hour. Which is about how long it took for her to master it. Well, not really _master_. And then a deep, familiar voice said, "It looks like you two are having a good time."

"Daddy!" Catarina hollered, swimming toward her father. Her butterfly stroke wasn't perfect, but it was pretty dang good. Especially considering the fact that she had only been working on it for three hours or so, and she had just barely turned six last week.

Jesse smiled brilliantly at her, pride in his dark eyes. "Hello, Catarina. You really are doing well with your swimming, _princesa_."

She nodded excitedly, holding onto the edge of the pool. I made my way toward them as she said, "Mommy is a really good teacher, _Papa_. Really, really good."

Jesse sent his lovely smile my way. I smiled right back. "I see that. She is certainly doing a better job than I was at teaching you how to swim."

Catarina gently patted his hand. In a solemn voice she told him, "It's okay, Daddy. It's not your fault you can't swim."

He arched an eyebrow at her, the one with the scar in it – from a dog bite, can you believe it? I'd always imagined something a little more…intense. He just has that danger aura about him sometimes. I seriously thought he would have a cooler story for his scar. "You think that I can't swim, _princesa_?"

She nodded. "That's why you can't teach me, isn't it?"

I had to laugh. In her six years of life, Jesse apparently had never taken her swimming. He probably nearly had a heart attack having his little angel in a big pool of water. He was telling me that he'd only ever played with her in a little kiddie pool. She hadn't had a chance to _see_ him swim. "Your daddy can swim, Catarina." I chuckled again. "He's just not very good at it," I added with a sly wink.

"Susannah, you might want to be careful."

I smirked. "Or what?"

"I'll prove you wrong. You know I'm a better swimmer than you are."

"I don't know if I believe you," I said slyly, glancing at Catarina. She caught my eye and grinned. She knew exactly what was going through my head. Then, together, we pulled Jesse into the pool. You know what they say. Great minds think alike.

He surfaced, sputtering. "Susannah! Now my clothes are soaked."

Catarina and I both laughed. "Oh, don't be such a baby," I told him. "They're just clothes. They'll dry."

He gave me a withering look, still a little upset. I think he was mostly surprised, which he shouldn't have been. It's me. "You would not say the same thing if it was _your_ clothes that were soaked in chlorine water."

Well, he had a point. Instead of answering, though, I just pushed his head under the water.

He tried to glare at me. But I could see the corners of his mouth twitching. He was trying not to smile, now that he'd gotten over his surprise or whatever. He narrowed his eyes, then dunked me under the water. I punched his shoulder lightly as soon as I came up for air.

Jesse just laughed, pulling me close for a sweet kiss. "I love you," he murmured against my lips.

"Even when I act like a brat?"

"Even then."

"Good. I love you, too."


	28. Pray About It

**Jesse's POV**

**August**

I could hear splashing coming from the hallway bathroom when I finally got home from my shift. I always hated the all day shifts at the hospital. I had barely placed my keys on the peg when there was a very loud splash. "Catarina de Silva," Susannah's voice said sternly, sounding tired and...something else, I wasn't quite sure what. Perhaps frustrated. The water had probably gone all over the room and created a large mess. "You know that you can't splash like that inside the house. It makes too much of a mess."

"Sorry, Mommy," my daughter mumbled.

"It's all right, sweetie," my wife said in a softer voice. There was a shrill giggle, indicating that Susanna had tickled Catarina. "I'm not mad at you and you're not in trouble. You just need to calm down and stop splashing so hard. Next time, you will be in trouble."

"Okay."

It was quiet then, save for the sounds of light splashing. I leaned against the doorframe so I could see into the room, watching Susannah finish washing Catarina's dark hair. I smiled, enjoying the scene. Susannah really was a wonderful mother to my daughter. She loved her very much and always wanted to do her best by and for her. She and Catarina had developed a wonderful bond.

"Mommy?" Catarina asked quietly, looking up at her stepmother. She dropped all of her toys into the bubbly bathwater. Her voice was somber, indicating that her question would be a serious one.

"Yes?" Susannah was distracted, trying to find the drain while straightening the mat at the same time.

"Why do you look so sad tonight?"

Susannah seemed startled by the question for a moment. She froze in her actions of draining the bathtub. Then she smiled and put away the toys before she helped Catarina out the tub, wrapping her in a large towel with a frog hood. "I'm not sad, Kitty Cat. Just tired."

I felt myself frown, even as Catarina accepted that answer at face value. I knew that Susannah was not telling the whole truth. I could hear it in her voice. I could see it in the slight tension of her shoulders. I could sense it. She _was_ sad, though I wasn't quite sure why.

I watched her closely, as I helped her get Catarina ready for bed. Together, we told her a story about princesses and dragons. Susannah's happy smile never slipped, though I felt it was a bit forced. Then, as we tucked my daughter into her blankets and kissed her goodnight, I realized what was making my wife sad.

Two years ago today, Susannah had suffered her miscarriage. No wonder she was a little upset.

Once we were back in our bedroom, I pulled her into a loving embrace, trying to give her as much support as I could in that one hug. "I'm sorry."

"What in the world do you have to be sorry about? Did some patient make out with you at work today or something?" she asked, smiling a little. Then comprehension filled her green eyes. "Oh, Alexander? You noticed me sulking, huh?"

"I noticed. You hid your sadness well from Catarina, but I saw it. Will you be all right?"

She nodded, a sad smile pulling at her lips. "I'll be fine, Jesse, don't worry. I stopped by his little grave this morning, on my way to the grocery store. Being able to visit whenever I want has really helped me move on. His death isn't exactly the reason that I'm sad. I think I've gotten over that, mostly. It's just…" she trailed off, looking at the ground.

"Susannah de Silva," I said softly, lifting her chin so she was meeting my gaze. "What is it? What's on your mind?"

"I love Catarina, and I do think of her as my daughter, but…" Again, she trailed off.

I knew what she was thinking, even without her saying it. I'd come to the same conclusion, subconsciously. I was a little surprised that she wanted this, too, though. I was surprised that she felt she was ready for this. "You want to have a baby, don't you?"

She sighed, some of the tension leaving her. I think she was relieved that I seemed to know to what she was thinking. "Yes," she admitted in a slight huff. "I want a baby pretty badly, actually. I never did get a chance to have a _baby_. I want to experience that. I didn't even really get a chance to experience the pregnancy. It was pretty much over before it had even started. I'd only known about the baby for a month before I lost it. I want that again. I want the pregnancy, the whole thing, and the little baby. I want the pain and the sleepless nights and the first word. All of it."

"And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't want to expand my family even more. As you know, I've always wanted a large family. Are you sure you're ready for this now, though?" I studied her closely, looking for any sign of doubt or hesitation. All I saw was her determination. She was ready.

She smiled. "I'm pretty sure. The only thing that I'm really worried about are stupid ghosts."

I gave a humorless chuckle. "Yes, dealing with spirits can make having a newborn very difficult. Well, more difficult than it already is to have a newborn around. It was one of the reasons I moved back to Carmel after Maria's death. I needed help."

"I know. So, are you okay with us trying for a baby? We haven't been married for very long at all, but –"

"Let's pray about it," I said, ignoring her scowl at the words. She attended Mass with me and Catarina every week, but it wasn't very happily. "If it's meant to be, God will bless us with a baby."

"So…no more birth control?" she asked hopefully.

"No more birth control," I confirmed, kissing her fiercely.


	29. Surprise, Honey!

**Suze's POV**

**November**

I set Catarina's breakfast plate in front of her with a flourish. I wasn't the one who usually fed her in the mornings, simply because Jesse actually enjoyed cooking and I didn't. He usually was home when it was time for breakfast. "What do you think? Do I cook better than Daddy?" I asked her, grinning. "And be honest. Daddy isn't here, so you don't have to worry about hurting his feelings."

She giggled at my slight theatrics, taking a little bite of everything on her plate. She thought about it before saying, "Um, I think you are. But only a little bit. Where is Daddy?"

"He had to work last night, remember? He gets off in two hours."

Her face lit up with excitement for about two seconds. Then she pouted. "But I'll be in school when he gets home," she says in a depressed voice.

I reached over and ruffled her hair. "You will be. Sorry, Kitty Cat. He'll be here when you get home from school, though."

She sighed heavily, turning back to her food. She really did love her father, a lot. Jesse was a great dad.

I turned around, intending to put the orange juice back in the fridge, only to run right into something solid. Something _dead_.

Great, just great.

The ghost – his name was Rufus, I am not even kidding you – sneered at me. I had been having a little trouble with him. We definitely got off on the wrong foot when I'd laughed at his name and got a black eye, which was still healing. Anyway, he'd been bugging me and Jesse lately, wanting us to give some hidden money of his to his uncle, who was a little low on cash. Sounds noble, right? You're probably wondering why we wouldn't help.

Here's the thing. That money? Yeah, Rufus stole it. From a family whose only daughter is fighting cancer – she's only seven, by the way, and it's a terminal cancer. They'd been saving up to take her to Disney World at least once before she passed on because they knew she would pass on soon. They had almost saved up enough. Oh, and Rufus's uncle? The only reason he was short on cash was because his cocaine buyers all found a cheaper dealer. And what little money he did make selling the crack, he spent on meth for himself.

No way were we helping. We'd already anonymously donated the money back to the Jacksons, plus a little bit of our own money, to get them to their goal. We wanted that little girl to be able to do something fun before she died. We felt it was only right.

"You still haven't done it."

I smirked at him. "Of course not, dummy. And I told you that we wouldn't so you can just stop bugging us about it. We're both sick of it."

"Mommy? Who are you talking to?" Catarina asked, frowning. Then she nodded as though someone had given her the answer. "Oh. A ghost, huh?" While she knew about the mediation thing, she herself couldn't see the dead.

Lucky her.

"Yeah, sweetie. Let me just –" I was cut off by a fist making contact with my jaw. He must have been just trying to get my attention. Otherwise, I'm sure my jaw would have been broken. The guy must have been a bodybuilder or something when he was alive. I glared at him, rubbing my jaw. "Oh, you did _not_ just do that. I am going to kill you. Again."

That isn't actually what happened. No, what happened was I got the snot kicked out of me. My butt was thoroughly kicked. Rufus left once he was done getting his message across, laughing hysterically. I knew he would be back, if Jesse didn't find some way to permanently get rid of him first. Because Jesse would be mad.

Catarina, being the very smart little girl that she was, called her grandmother as soon as the whole thing began.

After that, more phone calls were make – me taking a personal day and Catarina being excused from school for family business. Isabel quickly arrived and drove us to the hospital. She wouldn't even let me think about driving myself. She was almost as overprotective as her son.

Secretly, I loved it.

Boy, was Jesse surprised when he saw us walk into the waiting room.

"Mother, Susannah, Catarina, what –"

"Hi, Jesse. I might have a few broken bones," I interrupted him, trying to smile. It hurt. Just about everything. "Rufus."

His expression hardened a bit. Yep, Rufus was done for. "Ah, I see. Catarina, please stay with your _abuela_ while I take a look at Susannah."

When it was all said and done, I had a cracked rib, fractured wrist, broken finger, and a small concussion. They weren't really sure about all of that because we were waiting for the all-clear to get an x-ray done.

Oh, and one other thing.

"Susannah…" Jesse said. His voice had been really weird since he'd come back in the room with the results of the tests they'd done so far. I still hadn't gotten that x-ray yet. "You're…pregnant."

I stared at him, my jaw hanging wide open. Of course, since they'd wanted to x-ray my ribs and they knew I'd been trying to conceive, they had ordered a pregnancy test. Apparently, x-rays can damage or even kill a fetus. I didn't think anything about it because…well, I wasn't really having any symptoms. I was sure the test would come back negative. "What?" I asked, sure that I hadn't heard him right. There was just no way that he had said that I was...

"You're pregnant."

I leaped up to hug him, which was a _very_ bad idea. It hurt. A lot. "Ow, ow, ow, ow." I couldn't stop smiling, though. I was too happy. "Let's go tell Catarina!"

"Susannah! You aren't finished here! We still need to –" he called, even as I rushed out of the room, yelping in pain the whole way.


	30. Three AM

**I really don't know how long it will be before I can get another chapter up. I'm starting a new term tomorrow, and it's going to be a stressful one. In case anybody hasn't figured this out, college is crazy stressful. I'll try to write some more soon, but...no guarantees. So sorry, guys. I know it's annoying waiting for more chapters of a story that you're following. Please bear with me.**

**And I'm sorry that this chapter is so short. :/**

**Jesse's POV**

**January**

I yawned as I walked through the dark parking lot and into the brightly-lit store. It was three o'clock in the morning, and I was tired. Exhausted, really.

"Morning, Jesse."

I smiled weakly at the clerk who had greeted me. I just wanted to go back home and fall asleep. "Hi, Stuart." It was a sign that I had been in here much too often lately when the clerk and I were on first-name basis.

He grinned knowingly. "Cravings again?"

I nodded. "She hit the fourteen-week mark yesterday. I'm hoping that her cravings will settle down within the next week or so, but I doubt that will happen. They just seem to be getting worse with every day."

"So what is it tonight? Cheesecake and pickles? Or pizza with sour gummy rings?"

I grimaced. Susannah had very strange cravings. The night staff at the 24-hour mart knew me quite well by now. And they knew all of my wife's recent favorites. "Not quite. It's a new craving tonight. She wants pickles with caramel and whipped cream."

Stuart grimaced as well. "Oh, that's just nasty. Do you know what you're having yet?"

I felt myself smile. "Another girl. We haven't decided on a name yet."

He waves his hand. "Eh, I wouldn't really worry about that yet. Wait until she's started the third trimester. That's the time to really start thinking about names."

"I think that's what we'll do. Right now is just a little too early." Yawning again, I wandered and found the items that I needed. I quickly purchased them and then rushed home.

I made Susannah's dish exactly to her earlier specifications. I didn't want her to be upset about it in any way. I peeked into Catarina's room, smiling when I saw her sleeping peacefully. I closed her door and quietly carried the food to the master bedroom.

Susannah was lying in our bed, eyes closed, absently stroking her belly. She looked up when she heard me walk in. "Jesse," she said with a smile. "Did you get it for me?"

"Yes," I replied, giving her the bowl.

"You are the best husband in the entire world." Her smile widened as she took it in her hands, and she immediately began eating it. I changed back into my pajama pants and climbed into bed. I cuddled against her side, resting my hand on her slightly swollen stomach where our daughter was growing.

"It's your daughter's fault," Susannah said suddenly, pulling out of the light sleep I'd been falling into. She'd set her empty bowl onto the nightstand.

"Hmm?" I mumbled tiredly.

"It's the baby's fault that I'm craving pickles with caramel and whipped cream at three o'clock in the morning. Your daughter wants some pretty weird stuff."

I looked up at her, feeling a bit more awake. "It is not the baby, _querida_. It's your body."

She shook her head stubbornly. "Is not. Blame the baby, not me."

I had to roll my eyes. I couldn't be mad at her. She was too…adorable at the moment. She had a pout in her expression, and a grin pulling at her lips. Her eyes were a little too wide to be considered genuinely innocent. She had that wonderful glow caused by pregnancy.

"Really," she insisted. "You can't be mad at me. If you're going to be mad, it can't be at me. I –"

"Susannah. I'm not mad." I sat up in the bed and pressed my lips lightly to hers, ignoring the bad taste of her strange snack. I smiled at her when I pulled away from the kiss. "I enjoy catering to you."

Her eyes lit up mischievously. "Really?"

"Within reason," I amended. Knowing her, she would find an endless list of ways that I could cater to her. I kissed her again. "I love you, Susannah."

"Love you, too."


	31. Names

**Hey, guys. Sorry it's been a little while. Here's the next chapter. Oh, and I realized that I made a mistake in the Unbridled Passion chapter. I wrote that Catarina had her first day of preschool. It should have been kindergarten. Sorry about that. Anyway, hope you all enjoy this!**

**p.s. I don't know how long I'll keep going with this story, probably just until I get tired of writing it. I can't think of a really good "stopping" point.**

**Suze's POV**

**March**

I caressed my swollen stomach, a smile pulling at my lips. As painful as the pregnancy was, I loved every single second of it. I could feel every movement my little baby made, and it thrilled me. I didn't get any of this with Alexander. I didn't get the chance to truly appreciate the miracle growing inside me. I was enjoying it with this little baby. When my hormones weren't sending me on a crazy roller coaster, I was ecstatic to be having this baby, to be experiencing the whole process of pregnancy. The rest of the time I was a witch.

Poor Jesse and Catarina.

My only regret, really, is that I won't get to experience any of this with my own father. I had accepted the fact that he'd finally had to move on - he had died when I was six, and had stuck around for quite a while. He'd moved on when Mom was happy with Andy, and I thought I was happy with Paul. If only my dad could see me now, he'd know that I was truly happy.

I glanced up when the door opened. Catarina raced in ahead of her father, a wide smile on her little angelic face. She sat beside me, dropping her backpack to the floor in front of the couch. "Hi, Mommy. How is my baby sister?" she asked excitedly.

I smiled. "She's doing very well. Do you want to feel her?"

Catarina nodded vehemently. She pressed her hands to my belly, knowing the drill. She did this every single day, usually multiple times a day. She was beyond excited to be a big sister. I moved her hands a little to the left, where I last felt the baby kick.

Her eyes widened, only a split second after the baby gave my insides a good whack. "I felt her! I didn't feel her at all yesterday, Mommy!"

I chuckled. No matter how many times she felt the baby move – and believe me, it was plenty of times because this little girl was quite a wiggler – she still thought it was something of a miracle.

I couldn't agree more.

Jesse affectionately ruffled his daughter's hair. "Settle down, _princesa_. You don't want to accidentally hurt Mommy or your sister."

He sat on the other side of me, giving me a soft kiss. "Good afternoon, _querida_. How are you feeling?"

I smiled warmly at him. "Good. I haven't really been uncomfortable at all today. Of course, my students still feel the need to laugh at my expense, but I doubt they'll ever outgrow that. How was work? How come you two are home a little late?"

He shrugged. "Work was quiet. Catarina and I stopped by to see my mother for a few minutes."

"All right. Jesse, we need to figure out a name for this child."

Catarina grinned expectantly. "Can we name the baby Sleeping Beauty? *_Ella es mi princesa muy favorito! Papá, ¿podemos llamar a mi hermana Bella Durmiente_?"

Jesse and I both laughed softly at her rushed words. I wasn't fluent in Spanish, not by a long-shot, but I was getting there. And I was pretty dang good at understanding it already. I had been so tired of not knowing what was going on. That wasn't the case anymore. I was a determined learner.

And Isabel was an excellent teacher.

"I don't think so, Catarina. Mommy and I want to give her a Spanish name."

My stepdaughter's eyes lit up. "Like my name is Spanish?"

"Yes, _mi hija, _like your name is Spanish." He turned his attention to me, arching that scarred eyebrow of his. "Did you have any name ideas, Susannah?"

I shook my head. "None whatsoever."

Jesse reached over to the side table, picking up his laptop. "Let's look some up. All of the Spanish names that I can think of at the moment belong to a family member of mine." He quickly found a page of Hispanic names. Like, hundreds of names were listed. And they weren't in any particular order.

"What about Sofia?" I asked, picking out one of the first names I saw.

He crinkled his nose just a bit. "I don't know."

We went back and forth for about an hour or so. And then I saw it.

"That one," I said, pointing.

Catarina sat up straighter, trying to see the name my finger was on. She couldn't quite see it, though that wouldn't have done her much good since she was just starting to learn how to read in school. She was ahead of most of the kids in her class, but she was still learning. She loved the whole idea of reading, which is probably why she was so good at it.

She is her father's daughter.

"What name is it, Mommy?"

Jesse smiled at me. We were definitely on the same page on this. "Adriana," we said together.

He placed his right hand on my stomach. "Adriana de Silva. Beautiful."

"She will be. Just like her sister." I pressed a gentle kiss to Catarina's head. I glanced over at Jesse. "Did it take you and...Maria long to decide on Catarina?" I asked quietly.

He shook his head. "We argued about it for nearly three months. We didn't decide on her name until only a few days before she was born."

***She is my very favorite princess! Daddy, can we call my sister Sleeping Beauty**


	32. Stupid Stupid Stupid

**This chapter is a bit shorter. Sorry.**

**Jesse's POV**

**May**

I could hear Susannah complaining long before I even opened the door to our apartment. Her angry voice led me to the kitchen, where I found her furiously scrubbing at the seemingly already clean counter.

"Susannah," I called, since she hadn't seemed to notice me come inside.

She jumped and turned to look at me. A scowl pulled at her mouth. "Oh. It's just you."

She returned to her task.

I wondered who else she would have expected, but I decided not to ask. She was not in the mood, I could see. I moved toward her and very gently pried the rag out of her hand. I pulled her into a loving embrace. She sighed and leaned into me, pressing her forehead against my chest.

"What's wrong, _querida_?" I asked her, smoothing my hands over her chestnut hair.

"I'm going insane." Her words were muffled by my shirt. "Absolutely and totally insane, Jesse. Bonkers. Loony. Crazy."

My mouth twitched in amusement. "Why?"

She lifted her eyes to meet mine. "I'm ready to have this baby. Jesse, I'm barely thirty-one weeks along," she whined. "I don't know how much longer I can take this. If the baby gets to the average of thirty-six weeks, that's five more weeks I have to wait. But what if she doesn't come until forty-two weeks? That means I will continue to be pregnant for eleven more weeks! That's almost three months!"

I struggled not to chuckle at her outburst. I should not have found it amusing, despite the fact that she was absolutely adorable when she was upset. "Most babies are born between thirty-six and thirty-eight weeks. I truly doubt that you will have to wait until forty-two weeks. Perhaps forty, at the most."

She nearly growled, she was so worked up. "That's not the point, Jesse! It's still way too long! I want to hold her, in my arms, right now." She jutted out her lower lip in a pout so similar to Catarina's that I had to laugh.

Susannah narrowed her green eyes dangerously. "And just what do you find so funny, _Hector_?"

I shook my head. "It was nothing."

"Jesse –"

"You looked like Catarina, that was all. Is your rant over now?"

Huffing, she folded her arms and grumbled under her breath.

Still smiling, I pulled out the tea kettle from the cupboard near the sink. "Should we go together to pick up Catarina from school today? It sounds like you need to get out of the apartment for a bit."

I could feel her roll her eyes as I filled the kettle with water. "No, _duh_! I can't believe stupid RLS made me start my stupid maternity leave this stupid week. Like I can't handle stupid teaching for another stupid week."

"Are you sure you got enough 'stupids' in that phrase?"

"Shut up, stupid."

I turned to face her as my water heated up. "How would you feel about moving? Not," I added quickly when I saw her panic, "to a new building. Simply a new apartment."

She frowned. "What?"

"Well, I heard that a family on the ground floor is moving out, and there is no new tenant for the apartment at this point. It has four bedrooms instead of just two. And the rent really isn't that much more than what we're paying now. I'm sure the landlord would hold it for us until our lease is up at the end of next month."

"The girls _are_ going to be a little cramped in Catarina's room. Adri's crib takes up a lot of space."

"Adri?"

"What? It's cute," she defended.

I shook my head. "What is wrong with Adriana? It's a beautiful name, which is why we chose it. As is Catarina and Susannah."

She arched an eyebrow in my direction. "So we should all use full names? Is that what you're saying?"

I nodded.

A smirk pulled at her lips. "We can do that, I guess. Just so you know, you are too much like your father, Hector."

I felt myself scowl. "Point taken."


End file.
